Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity
by CrazyLove345
Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives?
1. The Story Continues

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 1: The Story Continues**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, Ezra would have beaten Jason up to a pulp for kissing Aria and Jackie would be AWOL forever. **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

The cool morning sun awakened Ezra as it poured through the silky curtains of the large bedroom. He stretched out of his shoulders and look over at his wife. Aria slept soundly beside him, her breathing deep and soft as she snoozed. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I love you." He ran his hand smoothly down her shoulder, to her own hand and began to play with her fingers, kissing each one of them individually.

She stirred and turned to slowly face him, blinking against the light streaming into the room, "I love you too."

Ezra flashed her favorite boyish smile at her before leaning to press a short, sweet kiss against her lips, "How are you feeling this morning, beautiful?"

She rolled her eyes and sat up to lean against the headboard, grunting as she pulls up the extra twenty pounds weighing her down. She was six months pregnant with their third child and Ezra often worried about her, especially after the trouble they had had while she was bearing McKenzie, their five and a half year old daughter, seven years ago. Though the tear in her uterine wall had been fixed, there was still a chance of early childbirth.

Her hazel eyes suddenly widened and she stared at Ezra in amazement, "He's kicking up a storm in there." She took her husband's hand and pressed it against her bloated torso. There it was. An unborn baby's foot kicking the inside of her stomach. His son. Their son. Their little Mason Carter. Ezra smiled. He always found it in amazing how women could carry another human being for nine months. It was sometimes incomprehensible for him to even close to understand.

Aria swung her legs around to the edge of the bed, clutching her stomach with one hand as she does so, "its Kenzie's first day today. We don't want her to be late."

Ezra's smile widened as he thought of his little sweet pea. She was five and a half and the sweetest little girl that could ever be met. She was starting school that day and he could not believe on how fast time had flown over the past few years. He could still remember when she was just born, four pounds and one ounce of pure adorableness. She had been walking and talking by nine and a half months. She was reading and writing by two. Now she was going to school at an elementary just off of the Columbia campus, where Ezra and Aria taught English.

His mind instantly flew to his son, the gangly, lanky boy of his. Andrew was the total opposite of his older sister. The four year old had no interest in reading or writing, but he sure could draw. All of his artwork covered his room and the kitchen fridge. He was a lot like his father, both physically and personality wise. Black curls, dark blue eyes, lanky build. He preferred to get the work done first and then play later. Though he was showing some signs of becoming an athlete as he got older. His Uncle Daniel, Ezra's younger brother, was already teaching him about football.

Then there was their family beagle, a pure bread beagle named Snoopy. Aria and Ezra had gotten him after arriving back from Italy after their honeymoon. He was a mischievous little guy, always trying to get himself into trouble. However, when he was around McKenzie and Andrew, he was the best friend they could ever have.

Aria stood and stretched while Ezra massaged her shoulders softly with his thumbs, "You sure your feeling okay?"

His wife nodded in response, "I feel fine. Just…strange. Like Mason is trying to tell me something." She rubbed her baby belly, looking down at it, "What is it, little buddy? What do you need to tell Mommy?"

Ezra kissed her neck in sympathy, wishing he could help her more in some way, "I could call Dr. Solomon-"

"I'm sure it's nothing, Ez. Let's just get the kids up and let Snoopy out."

"Knowing Andy, he's already up, sketching away." Ezra threw a smile at his wife before walking out of the bedroom. Aria was stubborn, but she wasn't stupid. If she thought something was seriously wrong, she would tell him, right?

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria clicked the last picture of Kenzie in front of the elementary school. Ezra stood up straight, Andrew holding his hand, clinging to his leg, and Snoopy tugging on his leash for a serious game of tug-a-war.

Kenzie looked up with worry clear on her face at the large school, "I don't know about this."

Ezra kneeled beside his daughter, placing her younger brother on the grass, "Kenzie, you're going to do great today." He straightened her pink outfit Aria's friends had bought for her first day, "They are going to love you in there."

Andrew looked down at his older sister, always relishing the fact that he was taller than her, even though she was older, "Sissy, you're going to rock that place out!"

Aria laughed at her son's words, "Okay. No more watching MTV concerts with Auntie Hanna." She ruffled Andrew's black curls affectionately, "Kenzie, your father and brother are right. You'll do fine today."

Kenzie looked up with tears forming in her blue eyes, "What if they don't like me at school? What if they hate me?"

Her mother squatted down to be eye to eye with her, "Well, why wouldn't they like you? Your funny, smart, and," She kissed her forehead, "absolutely adorable. Those five year old boys are going to be all over you."

Ezra cleared his throat in protest, "Oh, no. Don't listen to your mother. Don't let those boys be 'all over you'. Remember. Boys are horrible creatures that only have one thing on their minds."

Kenzie smirked at her father, "Like what?"

The father of two looked extremely uncomfortable so Aria had to intervene, "We'll tell you later. When your thirty."

"Come on, Mommy! Tell me!"

Aria shook her head with a wink at her husband, "Not a chance. Now go inside and have fun!" Ezra kissed Kenzie's forehead one last time and the kindergartner ran off into her classroom, disappearing from their sights.

Andrew looked up at his parents with a curious look on his face, "So, what are always on boys minds?"

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra closed his lecture a few minutes early so he went across the hall to see his wife. Whatever the case, their boss, Nick, had placed them right across the hall from one another. Whatever the reason, neither of them were complaining. They often had make out sessions in their offices. One time, they had gone too far, and thus, Aria was pregnant with Mason.

He knocked on the door and slowly walked in. This was her planning hour, so she shouldn't be teaching. He called out, "Aria? Sweetheart?" No one answered him and he quickly ducked into her office to see if she was in there or not. She wasn't.

"That's strange." He muttered to himself. It was only 11:00. They didn't have to pick up Kenzie until noon or Andrew until two. _Where the heck was she?_

He tried to call her phone but she didn't answer. Now he was starting to get scared. Aria didn't ever go anywhere off campus unless she was with one of the girls or with him for lunch. And she would _always _tell him first.

He walked to the woman's bathroom and slightly opened the door, "Aria?"

For a moment no one answered him and then he heard her coughing out his name, "E-Ezra? Is that you?"

Ezra rushed into the bathroom stall she was in and was soon looking at his wife, who was sitting on the toilet, her skirt around her ankles. From where he stood, he could see a blood clot in her underwear. He could hear the voice of their former gynecologist, Derek Phillips had said about miscarriages, "Aria…no."

She had tears in her eyes as she cringed as another cramp hit her, causing her body to spasm. He slipped her into his arms and ran out of the bathroom, pulling her skirt back up to her waist, "I'll make sure everything is okay. Don't worry, baby. I got you. And I won't let you go."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria awoke in a hospital bed, blinking against the dull fluorescent lights. She turned her head to see Ezra sitting in a chair beside her. His head was in his hands, wiping his face and eyes; he had clearly been crying.

"Ezra?"

His head shot up and new tears sprung up and poured down his cheeks, "Oh Aria!" He stood in a flash and hugged her close to his strong body. He began to cry into her hair, kissing her neck and hair, "Thank God your awake!"

Aria asked with a small voice, "What am I doing in here?" She could barely remember a thing. She was numb from her neck down. _What's going on?_

Her husband's crying froze and he pulled away, kneeling beside the hospital bed, "Aria, Doctor Solomon told me that there was a twenty percent chance that you wouldn't wake up after the surgery." He stroked her cheeks softly with his fingers, tears splashing his cheeks.

She stared bewildered at him, "Surgery? I had surgery?"

"Yes. Yes you did. It was a risky procedure. Like I said-"

"Where are Kenzie and Andrew? Where are the kids? Where's Snoopy?" Aria frantically asked, wondering where her children were.

"Their with my mom at her place. They haven't seen you in two days. That's how long you've been out. I told them, "Mommy has a boo-boo. She's getting it fixed."" His voice broke and wiped his face with his hands, his wavy curls falling over his forehead.

"What boo-boo did I have fixed exactly?"

Her husband didn't seem to want to meet her gaze, "Maybe you should wait for the doctor tell you. She can probably explain it better than I can."

She shook her head, "I rather hear this from you, Ezra. _What did I have fixed?" _She knew that this kind of frustrastion wasn't good for the baby, but now she was getting annoyed with his behavior.

Ezra's strong body shook and with shaking hands, he took hers, looking at her straight in the face, no mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes, no humor on his face. Just pure sadness and grief, "I'm so sorry, Aria. You had a miscarriage and then a D&C. He's gone. Mason's gone."

Aria finally noticed her flat stomach. Her baby belly was gone. Her baby boy….was gone. She had lost her son. They had lost their son. They had lost their baby.

_Mason's gone._


	2. When The World Falls Apart

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 2: When the World Falls Apart**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, we'd be watching Season 2 Part B **_**way **_**before January. **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_Ezra's strong body shook and with shaking hands, he took hers, looking at her straight in the eyes, no mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes, no humor on his face. Just pure sadness and grief, "I'm so sorry, Aria. He's gone. Mason's gone."_

_Aria finally noticed her flat stomach. Her baby belly was gone. Her baby boy….was gone. They had lost the baby. They had lost the baby. They had lost their baby._

_Mason's gone._

Aria fell apart, tears immediately flooding her cheeks as she collapsed into Ezra's open arms. Her body shook with grief and guilt as he climbed into the hospital bed beside her, never letting go of his wife's fragile body. His own eyes were shedding new tears and he buried his face into Aria's dark brunette hair, his shoulder's shaking as he wept.

Aria couldn't believe that she had lost her little Mason. The pregnancy had been fine in those six months. He had been growing normally and was expected to be born sometime in December. Them this tragedy came out of nowhere and she was no longer pregnant with her and Ezra's son. Their child. Their baby. _Why him? Why not me? It's my fault. It's all my fault. _

Ezra's shuddering gradually weakened and finally stopped. He whispered words that he was only meant to hear. Aria eventually was able to speak as well, her voice shaking severely, "So, what do we do now, Ezra? What happens next?"

Her husband kissed her temple gently, as if he was afraid that he was going to break her, "We go day by day. Maybe we can see a grief counselor. I already made arrangements for a…"His voice faded away and broke off, even though Aria knew he was going to say _funeral, _"Never mind that. We explain what we can to Kenzie and Andrew. We'll do whatever it takes to deal with this and get past it."

She tipped her head up so her lips were just inches from his, "Promise me we'll make it through this?"

He put on the strongest face he could for her benefit, flashing his charming boyish smile at her, "I promise, sweetheart. I promise I'll do my best to get us through this. Even if it kills me." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips before wrapping his arms around her waist and shoulders. He closed his dark blue eyes, wisps of his black curls falling over his forehead. His breathing deepened as he soon fell asleep, chuckling softly as he dreamt. Aria guessed that he had been awake for the past two days, waiting for her to wake up. She watched him sleep for a moment, stroking his soft, stubby cheek. She loved him for always being there for her when she needed him, especially for travesties like this.

She slowly sat up, feeling a dull pain in her stomach as she did so. Aria put her face into the palms of her hands, finally beginning to feel this revelation hit her. She would never hold Mason. She would never be able to hear him call her, "Mommy." She would never see him to his first day of school. She'd never be able to do any of this because it was her fault that he was gone.

She felt the world closing in on her, choking her of air. Chains strangled her, making her unable to move. Aria doubted she would ever to be able to get over this. She doubted she'd ever forget that it was her fault that Mason, her third child, her baby, her mini Ezra, was dead and never coming back, never breathing, never able to see the world. No, she'd never get over this.

Especially not anytime soon.

****PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL****

Ezra rubbed his temples as he fought to stay awake, grading his college students' essays. It was past midnight and he was only halfway done with all of them. _Great, another project left unfinished because of everything that I've had to deal with. I better be ready to kiss Nick's butt real bad tomorrow on how these aren't done. _

Two months had passed since Aria's miscarriage and they had lost Mason. Ezra was coping relatively well, or well enough to be passed off as 'okay.' He sometimes laid awake late at night, though, thinking about how he'd never hold his son; how he'd never to teach him how to read, or how to ride a bike or how to baseball.

Aria was a whole other story. Nick gave her the rest of the semester off to see a grief counselor once a week and to get her emotions back together. She spent lots of time with Ezra and the kids and Snoopy, going to Kenzie's writing workshops and helping Ezra teach Andrew how to ride a tricycle.

Even with all of this amazing progress in two months, Aria still seemed to be very emotionally withdrawn from the world around her. Her husband and her grief counselor exchanged occasional words on how her progress was and Ezra was told that his wife was gradually recovering, but her therapist said that losing a child could take years before she was finally over losing Mason. Then there was the great chance that she'd _never _get over it.

Aria knocked on Ezra's door to his study and he glanced up as he heard her soft voice, trying to be quiet because she had finally been able to put the kids to sleep, "Ez, it's after midnight. Why don't you come to bed?"

He smiled at her apologetically as he murmured in response, "Sorry, Aria. I've got to finish these or Nick is going to chew my ass out _again."_

His wife shook her head as she walked further in the room. She closed Ezra's work folder, "Sweetheart, you're a zombie on two rotting feet. I'm sure Kenzie wants you awake tomorrow for her first parent-teacher conference. She's been talking about it all week."

"I know, I know. I'm on my way to our room." Ezra pushed himself to his feet as he flashed his teeth at her with her favorite boyish grin of his. She ducked behind her hair to keep from smiling herself, her cheeks turning pink, "Aria, baby, could we speak for a minute. If that's okay with you?"

She froze and flipped her hair out of her eyes to stare back at him with narrowed hazel eyes, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was wondering if you were still thinking about that prescription of medication that your doctor told us about. Dr. Rose said that it would help-"

She cut him off mid-sentence, her voice rose in furious anger, "And I'll tell you again! I don't want the pills! I don't need them. I'm fine."

He fought to keep calm. She was in a fragile state and he didn't want to spook her, "You barely ever talk to me anymore, Aria! What else am I supposed to do? You hardly talk to Hanna, Spencer, and Emily anymore, either. When the last time you actually saw them for more than ten minutes?" When she didn't respond, he continued, "It's like when your around me or the kids or your friends, you put up this wall, unable for us to even think about the girl you used to be, before this happened. Do you remember what I said to you two months ago in the hospital? I said that I'd do my very best to help us get past this. But how are we supposed to do that when you don't even want to help yourself?"

His wife shook her head, only this time in disbelief at what she was hearing, "I lost my son, Ezra! My baby is gone and he's never coming back! What else am I supposed to do?"

He finally had it with her self-pity crap he had heard for the past two months and his own voice rose to where the vases on his desk seemed to shake, "You're not the only one who lost him, Aria! In case you've forgotten, he was my son, too! He was supposed to be a little brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin! Don't feel like your the only one coping with losing him! Mason was _our _son. But you don't see me walking around this house self-consciously, feeling sorry for myself while my children grow up without me!"

She backed away from him with anger and raw pain clear on his face, "I can't believe you just said that to me."

"I'm sorry, Aria. I didn't mean it like that-"

"Mason's gone and it's my fault. It's my fault that Kenzie and Andrew will never have their little brother. It's my fault that Mike, Danny and Hardy will never teach him how to play football and lacrosse. It's my fault that you don't have a son to read to at night to help him fall asleep. It's all my fault." Her voice shook with unbearable grief and a stray tear fell from her eyes and down her cheeks.

Ezra took a deep breath and stepped closer to her, his hands up in surrender, trying to compromise with her, "Aria, it's not your fault that this happened to us. It's not your fault that Mason's gone. It just happened and now we have to cope with it the best we can"

His wife didn't seem to hear a word that he had just said and remained in her stubborn stature, "Feel free to sleep on the couch tonight. Because you sure aren't sleeping in the room." She shot him a look of sadness and regret before walking away, her footsteps fading down the hallway.

Ezra tried to follow after her, but she locked the bedroom door after tossing his pillows and a blanket into his chest. He turned back down the hall and walked to the large living room, setting up his temporary bed on the large sofa. He settled into the couch, pounding his pillow to get comfortable. He laid on his back, trying to understand on what had just happened. He and Aria had had arguments before, but none like this. None that had made him sleep on the couch. He probably shouldn't have said what he did, but it was what his wife had needed to hear.

A lump formed in his throat as he buried his face into his pillow, forcing himself not to cry, as he tried to fall asleep. Aria was worse than he thought. _What will it take for me to make her feel better? And make her realize that it's not her fault that Mason is gone?_

**Love it? Hate it? Can't wait until the next chapter? Sound off in the reviews to let me know what you think! See y'all soon!**


	3. Tears Fall Like Waterfalls

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 3: Tears Fall like Waterfalls**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, Ezra and Aria would have never had love triangles in the first place.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra woke early the next morning, his back aching and his joints cracking. Here he was, thirty-four years old, married for barely eight years with two children and a dog, and he was stuck on the couch because he couldn't learn how to keep his mouth shut.

He rolled onto the floor and pushed himself up to his feet, his muscles extremely sore. He heard a small voice behind him, "You better get a shower. Kenzie has conferences in two hours and she'll cry for a week if you get her there late." He looked up into his wife's blank expression, her hazel eyes lacking any emotion.

"I'll get to it then." He tried to keep his voice mutual, but it ended sounding like he was irritable and annoyed, "Aria, I'm sorry-"

"Save it. You said what you had to say and now I get it. You think I'm a total waste of time and not worth the trouble of being there for and waiting for me to get over losing our son."

"Aria, I would never think that. You know I love you. I will _always _love you."

Aria nodded, crossing her arms across her chest, "Just get going. We can talk later."

"Aria-" His wife left the room before he could finish his plead to her. He ran his hand through his curly hair. This was not good. _What did I say that was so wrong? _

Without thinking, he reached into his pajama pants and took out his cell phone. He quickly dialed a number he knew by heart. He waited a few moments and then a female voice answered him, "_Ezra? What's the matter?"_

"Nothing, really. Actually, well, Aria isn't speaking to me much right now. I brought up the prescription again and she completely went, _"It's all my fault"_ again and I'm worried that she's going to need those pills extremely badly. Amanda, she's getting worse, not better."

The woman answered with a serious tone, "_Her session is today. I will write up the prescription right now. She is making progress, Ezra. Remember that losing a child is an extremely emotional time."_

Ezra nodded, even though the familiar ache in his heart spread over his body as he remembered when he had found out that Mason was gone. He still cried himself to sleep some nights, even if Aria never saw the tears herself, "I know. She's not the only one who lost him. In case you remember, I was supposed to be Mason's dad."

Dr. Rose sighed in sympathy. The therapist had been one of his closest confidents in the past two months, like the sister that he had never had. They had become very close as they both tried to help Aria get through her pain and grief after Mason died, "_I get it. You know, I'm still open for adding you to my schedule."_

He chuckled, "Very funny. No, Aria needs the help, not me. I can work on it on my own. Plus, our insurance deductible is getting higher and higher as it is. So, I rather not stretch my wallet too far."

"_Okay. Well, the offer will always be standing." _She changed the subject in a hurry, "_So, I'll get the prescription written for Aria. I'll talk to you after her session."_

"I'll talk to you later. Goodbye, Amanda." Ezra ended the phone call with one press of a button and headed to the bathroom to get a shower.

"Daddy?" Kenzie stepped out of her bedroom, still in her pajamas.

"Yes, sweet pea?" He knelt down in front of her, playing with the braid he had made in her hair the day before.

She looked at him with those big dark blue eyes of hers, "Why were you and Mommy fighting last night?"

He sighed, "You heard us last night, huh?" He ran his hand through his curly hair again, "We weren't fighting, Kenzie. We were just talking about your little brother. Mommy just misses him that all."

"Why? Andy was asleep right there in his room. Why would Mommy miss him?"

He smiled sadly at her, cupping her young face gently between his hands, "Your other little brother, sweet pea. Mommy misses Mason."

Kenzie's lip quivered and she sniffled. She had been so excited when she had found out that she was going to be a big sister again. Then when Aria and Ezra had come home without a newborn baby and explained to their two surviving children that Mason would never be able to meet.

"Kenzie, sweet pea, come here." His five year old daughter crawled into his arms and snuggled her face into his chest. He stroked her dark brunette hair, kissing her cheek. He rocked her back and forth, humming the lyrics of "Happiness" by the Fray in her ear.

Aria walked around them with Andrew in her arms and then looked down with worry visible in her eyes, "What's the matter, Kenzie?"

Her voice was muffled in Ezra's bare shoulder, "You and Daddy are fighting and Mason never came home."

Aria knelt as well and tore Kenzie away from her husband, 'Me and Daddy aren't fighting. We're fine, see?" She leaned over to tentatively kiss Ezra's lips for a moment before breaking away, "See, we're fine. As far as…" Her voice broke off as she fought to find the painful words to tell her daughter, "_Mason _goes, he's in a better place. Angels are probably playing baseball with him as we speak."

"Really, Mommy?"

She nodded, "Yes, honey. Now go get ready. I have an appointment I can't miss. Daddy is going to take you to conferences and then I promise I'll take you and Andrew to the park."

Kenzie and Andrew went to their rooms to get dressed and Aria turned to go to the kitchen but Ezra grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face him, pulling her into him, "Aria, are you okay?"

She gave him a tentative smile and then kissed him again, sliding her hands up to his hair, her fingers knotting into the wavy blackish-brown curls. She leaned her forehead against his after they broke away, "You sure do know to make me snap out of it. I'm sorry for being such a crank to you all the time. You don't deserve it. Not after all you've been through in the past two months"

"I shouldn't have said what I did last night either. I was a jerk. I should have respected your feelings a little better."

Aria shook her head, mashing her index finger into her husband's pursed lips, "Shhhh. It's what I had needed to hear. I am getting better, sweetheart. I am getting better. It's just that, "She hesitated for a couple moments before continuing, "Mason would be due in two weeks, Ezra. I just wish that we could have held him at least once."

Ezra hugged her close to his bare chest, "I know, baby. I know." He buried his face into her hair, "I wish that sometimes, too."

She pushed away from him, wiping her eyes of the unshed tears, "So, have a good time at conferences today, okay? Try to make Kenzie seem like an angel. Wait, that's exactly what she is!" She stretched up to kiss his cheek, "I love you, but Amanda will kill me if I'm late again!"

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria stared at her therapist straight in the eyes, dumbfounded at what she had just heard, "What do you mean that instead of the suggestion of getting on this prescription for that depression medication, you are now _requiring _me to take it?"

Dr. Amanda Rose tossed her ginger red hair out of her eyes as she looked down at her notes, "Ezra told me that you are becoming more and more irritable as time goes on. It's been two months and your pattern seems to be taking huge strides towards getting better and then you take one leap back. This medication will help you cope better than what you are doing right now. Come on, Aria1 Do it for your family!"

She shook her head in disbelief. Her husband had betrayed her after all. He had completely lost hope in her getting over Mason. Anger flared inside of her, "You've talked to Ezra?"

"That's not the point, Aria and you know it."

"No, I'm not taking these drugs! I can deal without them!"

Dr. Rose laughed darkly, "Aria, if you want to move on with your life, you need to accept the help that is offered to you; whether it's at the bottom of a pill bottle or not." She met Aria's eyes, her gaze softening, "It's not your fault that Mason is gone. It was a freak thing and it was unfortunate, yes, but Mason is gone and if he were here, don't you think he'd want you to move on?"

"If I hadn't had had that freaking miscarriage, he'd be due in two weeks and I wouldn't be here speaking to you."

Dr. Rose sighed, taking off her reading glasses and folding them into an eyeglass case, "You'll start on a small dose and next week, when you see me, I'll make sure to note your progress."

Aria rolled her hazel eyes, shaking her head, "This is ridiculous. I don't need anything but my family and my friends. I don't need you, Amanda. I should be at my daughter's first parent-teacher conference instead of in here with you, given drugs that I don't need and being declared a certified loony-toon."

The therapist met her gaze with sympathetic, intelligent brown eyes, "Aria, if I were to choose one person out of a roomful of my patients that needed this emotional rehabilitation and depression medication prescription, I'd most definitely be you."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra was just about to enter Kenzie's classroom for the parent-teacher conferences when his blackberry rang from his pocket. The caller ID told him that Aria was calling him. He glanced down at Kenzie and Andrew, "Why don't you two go and tell Ms. Thompson that I'll be right in, okay?" His two children nodded and walked into the classroom. He took the call and asked sweetly, "Hey, Aria. How's Dr-"

Aria's angry voice answered him, "_You lied to me, Ezra. You told me that you loved me, that you would always be there for me when I needed you. You lied straight to my face."_

Ezra started to pace in the hallway, his free fist clenching at his side, "Aria, please. I am only did this because I love you. Because of my promise to you. That was my only intention."

"_I can't trust you anymore, Ezra." _After that, the line cut off and left Ezra listening to the dial tone.

"Aria? Aria? Please pick this back up?" He pleaded desperately, but it was no use. She had hung up the phone.

His shoulders started to shake as he began to choke up tears. He threw his phone against the wall and watched it shatter, the battery sliding underneath a folding chair sitting across from him. He placed his face into his hands and began to cry. _This is not good. This is not good _at all. _Aria thinks I am against her and I don't believe in her. Does she believe that I don't love her anymore?_

**So, how do guys like it so far? I promise it won't be sad the entire time, but like some you guys keep on saying in the reviews: Reality means drama, which means sadness, which means my little Ezra is crying at his daughter's parent-teacher conferences. Plus, I am fulfilling my promise of the tears y'all would shed. So, keep your tissues handy when reading this story, okay? **

**Review if you want to give me any ideas on what should happen in later chapters, give me suggestions to improve, or to just tell me how much you love the story. I am all ears! **

**You guys are amazing. Keep reading and I hope to have the next chapter up by Sunday! See you then!**


	4. Clear My Head

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 4: Clear My Head**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, Jackie and Jason would be a couple. Anyone feel like shipping Jacson/Jasie with me?**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria furiously stormed through the front door of her house, slamming it angrily behind her and she clonked down the hallway in a teary-eyed fury to her and Ezra's bedroom. She saw a picture of them from their wedding and she walked over to it and smashed it to the ground furiously. The glass shattered across the floor and she leaned against the wall, tears rolling down her face. _Ezra hates me. Amanda hates me. My children hate me….My children. Kenzie and Andrew. They hate me. Mason hated me so much he died before he could even meet me._

That thought sprung up in her head and brought new tears to her eyes. _Mason is dead. Mason isn't coming back. Mason won't ever be held in my arms. He's in a cemetery, not in a crib. He's under a tombstone, not under the moonlight, being cradled in a rocking chair. He's dead and it's all my fault._

Aria subconsciously took her suitcase out of the closest and started to pack clothes into it. She needed a break from New York. She needed a break from Ezra, from her friends, from her job. She needed a break just in general. She needed to go back to the place where she felt like things were normal and hadn't fallen apart for her.

She pulled out her phone and furiously typed on the touch screen a number she had not called in some time. She pressed the phone to her ear and listened to the answering machine as the message rolled on. She finally heard the beep and she began to speak, "Hello, Mom? Yeah. I'm fine. Okay. I'm not. Far from it. I can't tell you what happened right now." Aria took a shuddering breath and continued, "I'm coming home."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra stepped into the classroom, slipping his broken phone into his jean pocket, vowing that he would visit the phone carrier later to take advantage of that extended warranty he had paid so much for when he bought it six months ago.

"Sorry, I had a phone call I had to take." He shook his daughter's teacher's hand, "Ezra Fitz."

The kindergarten teacher responded with a smile, taking in his boyish charm, curly brownish-black hair, smoldering dark blue eyes with the mischievous twinkle, "Hello, Ezra. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Patty Thompson." The woman seemed to be in her late 20's and almost too young to be a teacher, "Won't you take a seat?"

Ezra sat down on the folding chair between his two children and look across the desk at Ms. Thompson, "So, how is my daughter doing in your class?"

"She is incredibly bright for being so young. She has charmed almost every other colleague of mine at recess and excelling in every subject. I noticed that she's shy at times and then very social at others. She spends lots of time with Xavier Cavanaugh. They seem to have lots of chemistry."

Ezra smiled and nodded, "They've known one another since they were infants. My wife and I are good friends with Toby and Spencer. Aria has known Spencer practically her whole life since they grew up together in Rosewood where we're both from."

"Well, McKenzie and Xavier are inseparable. You may have Mr. and Mrs. High School when the two of them get older." Ms. Thompson rose her eyebrow teasingly, "Too soon for you to worry about, am I right?"

He cleared his throat, his mind thinking about his daughter when she could date. He shuddered, "I would say so. No father wants his daughter wants to grow up. Especially when he knows how the teenage boy mind works and how her mother had been when she was a teenager."

The young woman rolled her eyes and smirked over at him, "My father hardly ever let me out of my house once I reached my young teens. He said it was to protect me, but I thought that when he questioned my first boyfriend for more than three hours that it was a little extreme. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

He chuckled softly, "I've been in the boy's seat and let me tell you, it was incredibly scary to sit across the table from Aria's father. I thought he was going to kill me." He glanced over at Kenzie with a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips, "Now, being a father to a little girl, I completely understand."

"So, how is Aria? I heard that she was in bit of a sad mood lately."

Ezra's heart rate quickened, "How did you know that?"

Ms. Thompson shuffled some papers around and then handed him one, "Kenzie is a phenomenal student. Especially in English. Last week, I had the kids' write about their families. And Kenzie's really stuck out to me. She writes way beyond her years, like it's her calling."

Ezra smiled down at his daughter, "I would believe that. She has always had an interest in literature Ever since she started to read as a two year old."

"Well, read it for yourself and see what you think. Amazing talent, your little Kenzie."

Ezra began to read the paper and smiled when he recognized his daughter's chicken scratch handwriting:

_My name is McKenzie Angel Fitz and my family is the best family in the universe. My daddy, or Ezra as Mommy calls him, is so nice and kind. He reads to me when I can't sleep and he helps me braid my hair, even though he's not that good! He's an amazing daddy. Mommy, or as Daddy calls her "Aria", is the best. She sings to me a lot and cooks way better than Daddy does! She's been kind of sad, though, and I don't why. Andrew, my younger brother, is really fun! He likes to draw and wrestle with Daddy. Snoopy is our doggy and he's really weird. He always licks my face and sleeps in my bed. But he's my best friend and I'll love him forever and ever._

He paused reading the paper and looked over at Kenzie, "I'm not that good at braiding, huh? Your mother would totally agree with you on that one." His five and a half year old giggled and ducked her face under her dark hair. He ruffled the long locks and then glanced at Andrew on his other side, "Sounds like we're a couple of professional wrestlers buddy! Flex those specs!" The two of them flex their muscles together, leaning their foreheads together, growling. Ms. Thompson and Kenzie laugh at them and when they break away, the father and son chuckle as well. Ezra continued to read the paper and he froze when he read the next sentences:

_I have another little brother, too. His name is Mason. But I don't know him. Mommy and Daddy told me, Andy, and Snoopy that he was in heaven and not coming home to be with us. Maybe that's why Mommy is so sad. She always tells herself, "He's gone." _

Ezra felt tears spring up in his dark blue eyes and a stray one rolled down his cheeks. He rushed to wipe it away before his children saw it, "Is that all I need to know?" He stood, taking Kenzie and Andy's hands in his, "We need to go home."

Kenzie protested, "Daddy, don't you like my story? Why are you crying? Why are we leaving so soon?"

He glanced down at her with narrowed blue eyes filled with raw pain and sadness, "Sweetheart, we need to go home. I need to speak to Mommy." He looked back up at Ms. Thompson, "We can go, right?"

Ms. Thompson looked confused but she didn't argue, "I suppose so. It was nice meeting you…" She didn't finish her sentence because Ezra, tugging his two children with him, walked swiftly out of the room, leaving the young teacher standing there alone.

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria climbed off of the airplane just hours later, her wind blowing in the cool breeze. She walked into the waiting lobby and looked around for the people who were supposed to be waiting for her.

She thought of the flight down. She had thought a lot on the coach seat she had been sitting in. About Ezra when he would found out that she had left. About their confused children wondering where she was. She thought about the note she had left on their pillows in their large bedroom:

_Ezra, Kenzie, Andy, and Snoopy:_

_I'm sorry. I needed to get away. But I know you'll get why. I just need to clear my head. I don't know when I'm coming back. Don't come after me. I love all of you. I'll talk to you soon._

_~Aria_

She sighed, wondering if Ezra would ever forgive her for leaving him without a goodbye; leaving him with the responsibility Kenzie and Andy without any help. She chased that thought away immediately. _Ezra will understand. He can handle them on his own. And I know the girls will help him out. He'll be fine._

"Aria!" She snapped her head around and a wide smile spread across her face when she saw the person she had been looking for. She, grabbing her carryon bag, ran into his open arms, enclosing him in a tight hug. She pulled away a few moments later, gazing into the familiar light blue eyes.

The man looked down at her with a wide smile, "Welcome back to Rosewood."

"I'm glad to be back home, Noel. I'm really glad to be back home."

**Thank you guys so much for all of the tweets, reviews, and support as this sequel has progressed. It is so much fun to write. And only one week since I posted it and it already has 40 reviews! Oh my goodness, that is just too awesome! **

**This chapter was inspired by my own idea as well as a little help given from my good friend and reader on Twitter. Thanks, h8tedit for letting me use this! I'd also like to thank my awesome reader and reviewer HarryLovesGinny for the idea of Ezra and Aria taking a break. You two rock!**

**I am open to more ideas, guys! I have my own, but I want to rock this sequel out, so I'll need a little help from my awesome readers. That would be you guys! So, PM me, tweet me, or just review an idea or two that you have for the story. All are taken into consideration and I will do my very best to work them into Double Infinity! Remember to review anything else that you would want me to know as well!**

**Thanks again all of you for all your support and love. I will make sure to update as soon as I can! Have a very Happy Halloween and I will see you next update!**


	5. When I Need You the Most,You're Not Here

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 5: When I Need You Most, Your Not Here**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, we would be having an Ezria special for every holiday.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

As soon as he walked through the front door with Snoopy, Kenzie, and Andrew, Ezra immediately knew that something was wrong. He called out as he helped his children with their jackets and shoes, "Aria? Sweetheart, are you here?"

Dead silence met him and he walked to their bedroom down the hallway in a hurry, "Aria, are you home?" Then he saw the wedding photo. The frame was smashed and broken, the picture bent. He picked it up as thoughts raced through his mind _Where is she?_

He collapsed on the bed and looked down at the photo, remembering how happy they had been on that day:

_"In the power vested in me, by the state of Pennsylvania, I pronounce you man and wife. Ezra, you may kiss your beautiful bride." Mr. Ackerd clutched his Bible to his chest, watching the couples' every move._

_Ezra tipped Aria's chin up ever so lightly and leaned down to gently press his lips against hers, his fingers tracing her cheeks and neck. The kiss was too short for the two of them, but they pulled away from one another anyway, despite the frustration both of them were feeling._

_Ezra whispered as they turned to face the crowd, "I love you, Mrs. Fitz."_

_She wiped a tear from her eye, looping her arm through his, clutching him against her side, "I love you, Mr. Fitz"_

_He smiled, remembering all the times she had to call him that in the past two years and now they were finally married, together, their futures laying in front of them, down that aisle and down the church steps. The guests sitting in the pews threw sunflower seeds over their heads as they quickly left the church and climbed into the back of a carriage, pulled by horses. The idea had been Aria's, her dream of always having like a "Prince Charming and Cinderella" exit from the church. Ezra grabbed the ropes and clicked his teeth, one arm tightly around Aria's waist._

_Byron was clapping loudly and they both watch as their mothers hug one another with red, puffy eyes. Issac, who had shown up sober and clear eyed, was standing beside Daniel and surprisingly hugged his ex-wife with as much warmth that was possible for him to. Ezra smiled at the sight and Aria snuggled into his arms, kissing his cheek, "We're all big one happy family now."_

_He leaned down to press his lips against hers again, making the crowd cry out in encouragement and clap even louder. Hanna and Mike both called out, "Save it for the honeymoon."_

_Aria broke away from her husband, hazel eyes narrowed, "I'll get you back for that later, you two. I promise you that." She turned back to Ezra, who immediately started to direct the horses, gently tapping their backs with the thin ropes. He kept one arm twined with Aria's and he leaned his forehead against hers, "I love you, Aria." He kissed her hand that was clasped with his, eyes looking at her, "I don't think I can say that enough."_

_She adjusted her position and faced him, leaning in, having her breath blow on his face, "I can make your lips do something more useful." She pressed her lips against his, feeling his free hand draw up her body and to the back of her neck, holding her in the passionate kiss._

Ezra leaned back on a pillow, clutching the eight year old photo to his broad chest, a tear slowly rolling down his cheek. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force himself not to cry. So much had changed since then. Eight years ago, they had been one of the happiest couples on the planet. Now, everything was torn apart.

A piece of notebook paper caught his eye and he took it in his hands, setting the broken picture frame beside him. He sat up, reading the words, hearing his heart shatter inside of his chest. He wiped his blue eyes as a few more tears began to form as he read it, over and over again:

_Ezra, Kenzie, Andy, and Snoopy:_

_I'm sorry. I needed to get away. But I know you'll get why. I just need to clear my head. I don't know when I'm coming back. Don't come after me. I love all of you. I'll talk to you soon._

_~Aria_

After reading it twenty times, Ezra crumpled it up and threw it across the room, his eyes filled with angry tears. _Aria is gone. Where the hell would she go?_ He quickly reached into his pocket and took out his now fixed phone, typing in Aria's number. She must have turned it off because he was immediately sent to her voicemail. The message before the dial toned brought new tears to his eyes as he heard her voice

"_Hi, this is Aria. I obviously am too busy to answer the phone. No, Ezra! Stop trying to tickle me! I'm recording right now. That's what I thought. I'll be in the room in a second. Anyways, leave a message for me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Bye!_

Ezra spoke as soon as the beep sounded, "Aria, where are you? I just got back from Kenzie's conferences and I saw that note. How could you just leave without saying _anything_ to me?" He took in a long, shaky breath, "Do what you have to do. But remember, I am _always _going to be here for you. Call me as soon as possible. Or not, if your still mad at me. I understand. Just try to get back here soon. I'll love you forever and always, and always."

With that he hung up and sat slowly on the bed. His wife was gone. She had left without a word to him. Now he was left with two children who didn't know where their mother was and he would have to deal with their questions on his own. _Aria's not selfish. She had too much to deal with. Just live your life and wait for her when she comes back._

Ezra pushed the thought from his mind immediately. Aria was the one woman that he has always loved. Now she just picked up everything and went somewhere. _Where did she go? Where would she go to clear her head?"_

That was when it clicked.

She had gone back to Rosewood.

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Four days passed without a word from Aria. Ezra kept waiting by the phone, just aching to hear her voice again. But with Kenzie and Andy, who had been told that Mommy had gone to see Papa and Nanna and that she would be back soon.

Ezra tucked Kenzie into bed, kneeling beside her bedside, brushing her long dark hair out of the way her blue eyes, "Get some sleep, sweetheart. Big day at school tomorrow and I don't want you to be too tired to enjoy it."

His five year old daughter looked at him with sadness and confusion on her young face, "When is Mommy coming home? I miss her."

He sighed, staring into Kenzie's eyes, automatically seeing Aria, as he always did when he looked at his daughter, "She'll be home soon. I promise." Though that was a promise that he could not keep, he needed to convince her anyways. Or he just had to convince himself.

"Daddy, Mommy always sings to me before I go to sleep. Can you sing me my lullaby?"

He smiled sweetly at her, knowing that her lullaby was "Happiness" by the Fray, "Of course, sweet pea." He crawled into the bed beside her, cradling her in his arms as he began to softly sing the lyrics to the song:

_Happiness is just outside my window  
>Would it crash blowing 80-miles an hour?<br>Or is happiness a little more like knocking  
>On your door, and you just let it in? <em>

Andrew came into the room with Snoopy following close behind him, "I can't sleep, Daddy." The four year old wiped his blue eyes and sniffled. He had taken Aria's leaving much harder than Kenzie, since he was such a momma's boy.

Ezra opened up his free arm to his son and his dog. Both of them climbed on the bed and Andy snuggled his face into his face, rubbing his blue eyes again. Snoopy curled up beside Ezra's right leg, laying his head on his creamy white paws.

Kenzie quietly yawned and asked, "Will you keep singing?" Her father nodded and continued to sing the lyrics to the song that had started everything for him and Aria

_Happiness feels a lot like sorrow  
>Let it be, you can't make it come or go<br>But you are gone- not for good but for now  
>Gone for now feels a lot like gone for good <em>

He heard his daughter and son's snoring and he smiled as he placed both of them in Kenzie's bed. He patted Snoopy's head before walking out of the room, flicking off the light and quietly shutting the door. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he answered it without looking to see who it was, "Hello?"

Spencer's voice responded, much to his disappointment, "Are the kids asleep?"

"Yeah, I just laid them down _at last. _I thought I would never get them tucked in."

Her laugh rang roughly against his ear as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a beer out of the fridge, "I told you could do it on your own. Though you could have called me. I live right down the street from you, after all."

He chuckled, popping the top open of his beer, taking a sip. It felt cool and chilly against his dry throat and he soon chugged half of it down, "Well, I guess I have to learn how to do this on my own."

Spencer's voice ached with sympathy, "Still no word from her?" She laughed again, only this time it was darker and had a layer of coldness, "I never would have thought that she would just _take off _like that. But apparently she did and she left you and the kids in the dust."

"She said that she wanted to clear her head, so if that's what she needs to do, I am behind her 100%. I just wish she would have said goodbye before she had left, so then at least I would have had some kind of warning." Ezra sighed, "I just want to know if she's okay."

Spencer didn't answer for a moment, "You should go after her."

"What?"

"It's only been four days; don't let it turn it into four months before you speak to her. Ezra, you've got nothing to lose, but everything to gain. She may have said not to go after her. But you should. You know her. She wants you to rescue her and this time, you'll be rescuing her from herself."

"I can't just leave Kenzie, Andy, and Snoopy, Spence. They already think that Aria's gone forever. If they lost me too, what would happen to them?"

Ezra could practically hear the eye roll in Spencer's voice, "Ez, you know that Toby and I as well as the other girls and Caleb will watch them. Just go and get her. Even if she doesn't want to be found."

He shook his head as he walked back to Kenzie's bedroom and quietly opened the door, watching his two children sleep, "I can't leave them, Spencer. I'm all they have at the moment."

Spencer sighed, "Alright. But if you change your mind, you know where to find me. Goodbye, Ezra."

He whispered back, "Goodbye." He clicked the _End _button before crossing his arms across his chest, smiling as he watched Kenzie and Andy sleep deeply in the small pink bed. He just couldn't leave them. They already thought that Aria had abandoned them. He was all they had right now.

He thought to himself, _If Aria wants to come home, she can come. I just want the old Aria back. The one who laughed at my horrible jokes. The one who smiled at me so sweetly. The one who had never-ending joy in her life. I want her to find herself again. I'll wait as long as it takes with open arms waiting for her. I know she'll come back. I just know it._

**I literally started to cry when I was writing this chapter. Ezra is honestly the best guy on the planet. Now I know it may same harsh that he's going after her, but remember: she **_**asked **_**him not to. And as we all know, what Aria wants, Aria gets. Don't worry. You'll find later on that he may end up changing his mind.**

**Aria's chapter is up next! I will be posting it on Thursday. Get ready to return to Rosewood in a whole new way. **

**Don't forget to review! Give me some future ideas for the story, give me some constructive criticism, or just tell me how much you love the story. Just say hi! I don't know! Anyways, I love y'all. Thank you so much for all the support. See you next update!**__


	6. Nothing Left to Lose

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 6: Nothing Left to Lose**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, we would be seeing a whole lot less drama and a whole lot more Ezria fluff.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_"Aria!" She snapped her head around and a wide smile spread across her face when she saw the person she had been looking for. She, grabbing her carryon bag, ran into his open arms, enclosing him in a tight hug. She pulled away a few moments later, gazing into the familiar light blue eyes._

_The man looked down at her with a wide smile, "Welcome back to Rosewood."_

_"I'm glad to be back home, Noel. I'm really glad to be back home."_

Noel helped Aria with her suitcases and led her to his car, loading the two bags into the backseat. He opened the door for her and then climbed in his side. He revved the engine and began to drive out of the parking lot, immediately beginning to speak, "So, what brings you back to Rosewood?" Noel hadn't changed since the last time she had seen him. Same smile, same charm, same everything. She felt like he understood her almost as well as Ezra did. He would listen to without judging. He was one of her closest friends.

"I just wanted to come home. And see everybody."

Her friend rolled her eyes, "I know you too well for this, Aria. You would never leave Ezra, the kids, and New York City for no good reason. So, spill."

Aria finally met his eyes, "Me and Ezra got into a fight. I mean a really big fight. I said things, he said things. He slept on the couch last night I was so peeved off at him. We made up this morning temporarily. Then I found out something that made me realize that things weren't going to be that easy. Then I decided that I needed to come back home. So, here I am!"

He sighed, gripping the steering wheel tightly with his hands, his blue eyes watching the road, "Aria, not to pry, but I know that you've never had this big of a fight with Ezra. I mean, Ezra and I aren't the best of friends, but I know him well enough to know that he would never to hurt you on purpose. I have a feeling that this has a little bit less to do with him and more to do with Mason." The cab of the car fell silent for a moment before he continued sadly, "I'm here for you when you need me, Ar, and I love having you back in Rosewood, but you and I both know that you need to go back to New York and work things out with your husband."

She choked on her tears as she blubbered out, "Noel, I can't just go back! Ezra is never going to forgive me for leaving him without a goodbye!"

Noel pulled the car in front of her parents' house and turned to face her after killing the engine, "Aria, you can't say that. From what I have seen since you two got married eight years ago-or even before then! For ten years, I have seen you two _cry and fight _for one another. You have to go back."

Aria glared at him with narrowed hazel eyes, "Is that why my mom called you? So then you could lecture me like everyone else has been doing?"

He reached over and caressed her cheek lightly, his blue gaze shining with sympathy, "I would never do that. You know me better than that, don't you?"

She leaned over to kiss his soft, freshly shaven face, "Thanks for the ride home. Stop by here tomorrow? I really don't want to be alone when my parents are at work."

Noel nodded with a soft smile, "Of course."

"Thanks."

Aria grabbed her bags from the trunk of Noel's car and headed into the old colonial house that she had grown up in, "Mom?"

"Aria? Holy crap, what are you doing here?" Byron, her father, leapt from the living room's loveseat reading a book and rushed over to enclose her in a tight hug.

"I called you and Mom. I know it's sort of unexpected for me to be here and all, but-"

Ella came out of her bedroom, her face blank except for the look of sadness and disappointment, her arms crossed across her chest, "What are you doing here?"

Byron's eyes widened and he started flabbergasted at his wife, "Our daughter is home, Ella! How could you say something like that?"

She glanced at him and then back at Aria, her eyes narrowed, her chestnut brown hair falling over her angular face, "She left without letting Ezra know anything. He just called me, asking if you were here. I told him I didn't know. Now, Aria, what the hell is going on?"

Her father looked back her with wife confused eyes, "Care to explain why you left your husband and children back in New York?"

She wiped her eyes one more time before she simply said one word:

"_Mason."_

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

The next four days consisted of Noel and Aria spending a whole lot of time going to all the places they had grown up with. The Grille, Wright's Playground, the old high school. She was glad to know that Noel was content with just keeping her busy and away from her overwhelming thoughts of Ezra, Mason, Kenzie, Andrew, her friends, and what mess she left behind in New York.

Ella and Byron four nights ago listened to what she had to say. Her mother had been disappointed but offered her the old bedroom where she used to sleep and Byron just wanted his little girl to be in a happy mood again, so he constantly bugged her every five or so minutes to make sure that she wasn't going to need a straightjacket.

Now Aria was alone in her old bedroom, waiting for the pizza she had ordered. She was going through all of her voicemails and text messages that she had neglected for the past four days.

Hanna: _"Aria, I don't know and I don't care where you are. Get your ass back to New York!"_

Emily:"_It's Emily. Come home, please! We all miss you!"_

Spencer: "_Ezra needs you, Aria! Get your ass back to New York before I come and get you myself!"_

Aria sighed as she listened to the remaining 17 voicemails. Her friends didn't understand. It wasn't an easy decision for her to come back to Rosewood. She was just about to turn off her phone when another voicemail tolled on. It was one from the day she had left. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she heard Ezra's soft voice:

_"Aria, where are you? I just got back from Kenzie's conferences and I saw that note. How could you just leave without saying anything to me?"_She heard him take in a deep, shaky breath before he continued.Aria squeezed her eyes shut as she forced herself not to shed anymore tears. "_Do what you have to do. But remember, I am always going to be here for you. Call me as soon as possible. Or not, if your still mad at me. I understand. Just try to get back here soon. I'll love you forever and always, B-26. Forever and always." _

She glanced at the time on her phone and saw that it was almost eight o' clock. It'd be about the time that Ezra would be laying Andrew and Kenzie to bed for the night and then heading off to work on his class work and lesson plans. She quickly it speed dial #1 and anxiously waited for Ezra to answer.

**A shorter filler chapter to hold you guys over until I update on Saturday. As you can tell, I prefer to write for Ezra and his chapter is up next. I'll give you a small spoiler: Ezra is going to make a huge decision and things are going to go from there. **

**Don't forget to review! See ya'll soon! Thank you for all of your amazing support these past few tear jerking chapters!**


	7. I Need You Now

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 7: I Need You Now**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, would I really be on FanFiction right now?**

Ezra was just working on essays that had been sitting in his satchel for the past four days. He rubbed his eyes as he fought to stay awake and he took another swig of scotch as he tried to focus on grading these papers. It was only eight o' clock and he was exhausted. He thought to himself as he read through another essay, _After this one, I think I'll go to bed. Alone. For the fifth night in a row._

Suddenly there was a shrill from his cell phone and he glanced at the number. It was Aria. His heart began to race as he answered the phone cell, "Hello?" His voice was shaky as he murmured next, "Aria, is that you?"

His wife's voice overwhelmed him as she responded, '_Hey, Ezra._" She giggled nervously as she continued, "_It's so nice to hear your voice."_

Ezra tried to keep his voice casual, "Yeah, it's nice to hear your voice, too. So, where are you?"

"_I went to see my parents down here in Rosewood. I just needed some time to think, away from the big city."_

He clenched his jaw in frustration as he drummed his fingers on his old hickory desk, "Don't you think you could told me that instead of disappearing like you did? I wouldn't have been upset if you had told me that you were going down to Rosewood."

Aria sighed in response, her voice growing heavy, "_How are the kids?"_

"Well, Andrew is trying to be strong, but he misses you so damn much, it's kind of hard for him. Kenzie misses you too. I had to sing her to sleep tonight." He shuddered as a draft from the next room reached him, "Then there's me. I miss you so much, Aria. It's killing me inside knowing that you're hurting and there is nothing I can do to change that. It killed me when I saw that you had left, too."

She took in a deep breath and then shakily said, "_It wasn't an easy decision for me to make, but how am I supposed to feel? In a week and a half, we should be in the hospital with our newborn son. But we're not going to be and it's my fault that Mason is gone."_

"Aria-"

"_Save it, Ezra. I shouldn't have called. I knew it was a bad idea. I better go. I have a pizza waiting for me."_

"Please, Aria, just listen to me-"The other end of the phone call went dead and he listened to the dial tone for a few moments, recollecting what just happened. Aria had called him. She had sounded happy. Happy to be out of New York and back to the place where she had grown up. He couldn't help think, though, that she was begging him to go down himself.

He sighed, knowing that he had to, though he didn't want to leave Kenzie and Andrew behind. They would be so upset. He shook his head of the thoughts. _Spencer and the rest the girls will watch them if I ask them to. I won't be gone long. I'll be back with Aria before they can even miss me._

Ezra finally ended the call and started to dial another number. He pressed the receiver to his ear and soon he heard, "John F. Kennedy International Airport. How can I help you?"

"I need one plane ticket to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania tonight, please."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

The morning after Ezra's disastrous phone call with Aria, he sat in an airplane, slowly descending to the Philadelphia International Airport landing grounds. He gazed out the window, preparing what he was going to say to Aria when he saw her. She would be angry and upset at first, but maybe, just maybe, if he took her back to all the places they used to go, they could rekindle the relationship they had had back when they both lived in Rosewood. Back before the mess with the miscarriage and the stress of having a family so young. Back before their lives had been turned upside down.

He reached into his backpack sitting beside him and took out the picture Ezra and Aria had taken with Kenzie, Andrew, and Snoopy for their last Christmas card. They looked so happy, both holding one of their children and Snoopy sitting loyally beside them. He smiled down at the picture and stroked it softly with his long, muscular fingers. He glanced out the window again as the captain spoke over the intercom:

"_Good morning, passengers. This is your captain speaking. We are ten or fifteen minutes away from landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Please put on your seatbelts and enjoy the rest of the flight. Thank you for flying with us."_

Ezra sighed and smiled as he remembered the plane ride when he and Aria had been on their honeymoon. They had been happy newlyweds; content, excited, nervous, a little sexually driven, and ready to spend the rest of their lives together. He closed his eyes, remembering that morning so clearly, it could have been the day before.

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_After persuading Aria to eat her McDonalds meal with a typical "Think of the baby" lecture and forcing down his own food, the gate finally opened and Ezra was able to carry his young wife into the plane and to their seats, where he made sure to get Row B, Seat 2 and 3. He sat her in the window seat, which she had begged for ever since they started to plan the wedding a month and a half ago._

_Aria smiled sleepily as he put the carryon bag on the shelf above their heads, "You know how sexy you look with that tank top on? Man, those early morning runs sure did you some good."_

_His cheeks flushed a light pink, "Well, that little sundress you have on..."He whistled, "Sure is making me crazy." She giggled and held out her hand and he takes it in his, sitting beside her, flipping up the arm rest radio thingy, taking his wife, into his arms, holding her close to him. Aria lays her head on his chest and peers up into his eyes before smiling softly at him and closing her own. Her breathing became heavy as she fell into deep dreams within just moments of closing her eyes, Ezra leaned his head against hers, pressing his lips into her hair, savoring the moment alone with her. He relaxed, thinking for a moment, before his mind goes blank, _These next two weeks with her are going to amazing and I will do anything to stop anyone from interfering with this special time I have alone with her.

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

He took in a deep breath as he felt the plane begin to descend down to the runway. He braced himself mentally and emotionally as he thought ahead to Aria when he would see her. He hoped she wouldn't be too upset. After all, she had seemed like she wanted him to come and see her. _If she is upset, she'll get over it. I am going to make sure that I bring the real Aria back to New York with me. The one who loves to laugh, sing, and just live her life. By the time we go back, she'll be the Aria that I fell in love with ten years ago._

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ella put a plate of food in front of Aria and she blinked gratefully up at her mother as she dug into the eggs and bacon hungrily. She hadn't felt like eating after her phone call with Ezra, so Byron and Ella ate instead.

"So," Aria chewed slowly, quickly swallowing, shivering in warmth as she felt the food enter her stomach, "how is Mike? Last time we talked, he said that he took a job as an athletic trainer at the high school. Is that going well for him?"

Her mother nodded with a small smile, "He seems to really be enjoying it and that girlfriend of his sure does keep him in line. I really love that Natasha Kahn. She is the sweetest thing."

"She seemed really nice when we met. I mean, Ezra was her teacher and Noel is her older brother. I'm surprised that she doesn't have a problem with that she's dating a guy whose sister dated her brother and then marries her English teacher. I bet she thinks that we're a bit dysfunctional."

Ella rolled her eyes, "Aria, Natasha is very understanding. And she seems to really love your brother. I wouldn't be surprised if they got married sometime in the future. Then you would be the sister-in-law to your ex-boyfriend." Her mother laughed a moment, "That'll be an interesting situation."

"You seem to have forgotten that Noel and I are still close friends." Aria defended herself.

Ella put up her hands in surrender, "I have no problem with that. He has been a good friend to you these past eight years since you and Ezra got married. Though in these last four days have got me worried." She sighed and blinked identical hazel eyes at her daughter, "You and Noel shouldn't be in a room alone together, like you were yesterday in the living room."

Aria felt a surge of anger course through her, "We're just friends, Mom! That's it!"

"Aria, you've been emotionally unstable for over two months and next week Mason would have been born. You need to go back to New York and mend things with Ezra. That's the man you should be around, not your ex-boyfriend who would probably snatch you away the first chance he had."

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Noel understands me. He doesn't push me into talking to things that I don't feel like talking about. He lets me have my space when I need it and then comforts me when I need comforted. Ezra just seems to be judging me all the time."

"He's not judging! He's being a good husband trying to help you get through losing your son! His son! You two's son! It's okay to talk to Ezra, you know? Have you ever thought about how bad he must feel? I remember when you were recovering in the hospital and he was beside you, every minute. I saw him cry and weep and sob. He loves and cares about you and you're just pushing him away."

There was a soft knock on the front door and Aria jumped up to get it, "That's probably _my friend _Noel. If you don't mind, I think I'll invite him." With one last annoyed look at her mother, her practically skipped to the front door and swung it open.

Her heart froze when she saw the all too familiar dark brown curls hanging over tired dark blue eyes that blinked at her.

It was Ezra.

**Cliffhanger! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter after the last one was so poorly written on my part. I wasn't the happiest on Thursday, to say the very least, so my apologies to you. I have been planning this chapter for almost a week and I really hope you enjoyed it.**

**Thank you so much your guys's amazing support. Tomorrow will be nine months since I posted A Romance to Last a Lifetime. I cannot believe how far this storyline has come and I couldn't have done it without y'all. **

**I promise you that Double Infinity will get better in the emotional department soon. I am already planning a really good romantic scene for Ezra and Aria after Aria gets over the fact that Ezra came after her. **

**Send me some good words in the reviews. Ideas, compliments, constructive criticism, etc, etc. You guys are amazing. I will see you on Monday for the next update!**


	8. Things We Left Behind Part 1

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 8: Things We Left Behind Part 1**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, I would make it more focused on Ezria (and the other relationships…). The more romance, the better. **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_There was a soft knock on the front door and Aria jumped up to get it, "That's probably _my friend_ Noel. If you don't mind, I think I'll invite him." With one last annoyed look at her mother, her practically skipped to the front door and swung it open._

_Her heart froze when she saw the all too familiar dark brown curls hanging over tired dark blue eyes that blinked at her._

_It was Ezra._

He stared at Aria with a small sad smile pulling at the corners of his lips. A duffel bag hung from his shoulder and his satchel he carried in one hand. His curly bangs were undone from the rest of his hair and behind the long locks, Aria saw exhaustion, "Hey, there, Aria."

She couldn't believe that he had actually followed her. _Didn't I tell him that I just needed a break from my life back in New York? _"What in the hell are you doing here?" Her voice was harsh and unfriendly, no warmth detectable in her words.

Her husband looked taken aback at her tone of voice, but he shook it off with a blink of his dark blue eyes, "I was tired of waiting for you to come home. Four days without you with me and our family has been hell. So, I came after you myself and I don't plan on leaving without you."

"And so you just left our children in the middle of the night and _unsuccessfully _convinceme to go back with you? "

Aria watches as Ezra's eyes filled with anger and raw pain smoldering in the blue depths. His voice rose as he answered furiously, "You're the one to talk, Aria! You left them, too, without any word to me, _your husband_, about where you were going!" She retreated back into the house and he followed, not giving up, "Do you know how hard it was to explain to our two young children _why _you left? They both think that you abandoned them!"

Her own voice rose, shaking with anger, "Is this why you came here? To yell at me like you did back in New York? Ezra, you need to get it through that thick head of yours that I want to be _alone _for a while. And I can't do that with you here in Rosewood. I just can't."

Ezra clenched his jaw as he gazed down at her with his blue eyes narrowed into thin slits, burning with sadness and regret, "Why would you want to be alone? Amanda said that-"

"So, you and my _therapist _who I share _confidential information _with are buddies exchanging words on how crazy I am becoming, am I right?" Aria rolled her eyes, taking in a short breath and then exhaling it, "Is there anyone that I can trust anymore?"

"Hey, Aria, I was wondering if you'd want to-" Noel stroded through the front door and then froze as soon as he saw Ezra, "Hey….What brings you back to Rosewood?"

"Noel, right now is probably not the best time…" Aria began but Ezra's face had her sentence trail off.

His face creased with fresh pain and sorrow and he glared at Aria and Noel with very sad blue eyes. He sighed, "You just want to be alone, huh?" He shook his head in disbelief, 'I don't know what to believe anymore. Whatever, Aria. Do what you have to do." He jabbed a finger in Noel's direction with a clenched jaw, "But when give up on pretending that 'being alone' is what you want, I've got a room at the Ridgeview Motorcorp."

Aria's anger fell as she watched Ezra trudge out of the living room and to the front door, "Ezra, wait!"

He looked over his shoulder at her with his dark brown curls falling over his exhausted eyes, "Come and see me when you realize what really matters to you." With that, he disappeared from her sight.

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Noel took a swig of his beer, his eyes narrowed as he tipped the bottle into his mouth, allowing the cool drink soak his dry mouth, "Why are we here again?"

Aria shrugged and sipped on her Hard Lemonade, "I just wanted something to drink in the alcohol department and _Snookers _has some of the best in all of Pennsylvania."

He looked sarcastically at her, putting his beer down on a coaster on the wooden bar counter, "Aria, I'm not an idiot. I know that this is the place where you and Ezra met. You've told me a thousand times."

"Have I? Oh, I didn't realize."

"Uh huh. Sure, whatever you say." He threw a sly smile in her direction before taking another sip of his drink, swallowing deep in his throat, "Back to my original question. Why are we here?"

Aria sighed and turned to face him, unsurprisingly finding his bright blue eyes on her, "I just feel like this is the place that I need to be at right now. It feels like a safe place."

Noel nodded in understanding, "Don't you think that Ezra should be here with you instead of me?" His voice was friendly and warm, a small smile on his lips, "He is your husband after all and I'm just that annoying ex-boyfriend of yours who can't seem to get a girlfriend of his own-"

Aria interrupted him as anxiety entered her hazel eyes and facial features, "Oh no. Not him. Not here. Not now."

"What is it, Ar?" Noel looked over his shoulder and saw a man in about his mid thirties enter the pub, a messy mop haircut covering his egg shaped head. He had a fake tan and a t-shirt that was too tight, clinging to his over sized chest. When the man saw Aria, his face broke out in an uneven smile with his salmon pink lip and he started to walk over to them, "Who is that, Aria, so then I have the permissions to whoop his peppy little ass?" Noel muttered under his breath.

Aria didn't have the time to answer as the man approached closer to them, "Hello, Aria. How are you? I heard about your son and I wanted to pass on my condolences."

She glared at him with narrowed eyes, "You have no need. I'm not a friend."

The man shrugged, "I'm just being friendly. No need to be all prickly."

"Well that's what happens when you take photos of people when they are sleeping."

Noel stiffened beside Aria, his blue eyes smoldering with anger and disgust, "Aria, who is this dude?"

The man flashed him a sadistic smile and then turned his focus back to Aria, "Yes, Aria, who am I?"

Aria swallowed and then looked over at Noel with regret shining in her hazel eyes back at him, "This is Jason. Jason DiLarentus."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra just ordered a pizza when he heard his phone ring. He looked at the caller ID and saw that the number was blocked. He sighed and pressed the _Talk _button, "Hello?"

Noel Kahn's voice crackled in his ear as the younger man rambled off, "_Ezra, don't hang up. This is important. There's a dude named Jason here and he won't leave Aria and I alone. He is about to get his ass whooped if he doesn't leave."_

He froze. Noel was at least respectful and polite when it came to being Aria's friend, but Jason was a whole different story. He was a pain in the neck for him and Aria when they were still hiding their relationship. He even had the nerve to kiss her. On top of all of that whole mess were the pictures that Jason took when Aria was asleep. He had claimed that his sister had taken them, but Ezra didn't believe a word of it. Why would a teenage girl take creepy pictures of her friend when she was fast asleep? Jason was just a creeper and he needed to be taken care of. _Now._

Ezra responded after swallowing, "Okay, I'll be right there. Where are you?"

Noel hesitated before answering, "_We're at _Snookers._"_

He sighed, "You took her to me and her place just to stab me in the back didn't you?"

"_She more or less drug me here. I swear that I would never bring her here. Ezra, we can discuss it later, whether you want to strangle me for this or not. We have bigger fish to fry." _Noel broke off and Ezra heard in the distance, _"…..Jason! Get the hell away from her! Aria! Aria! Go! I'll hold him off!"_

"Noel, what's wrong? What's going on?" Ezra desperately pleaded into the speaker.

Noel didn't hear him.

_The line was dead._

**War has officially been declared! Ezra and Noel vs. Jason. What's going to happen in Part 2? **

**How did y'all like it? I thought that heroic Noel was kind of cute. Now, I have no problem with Noel (anymore….). Jason is the one that I lose sleep over. I am just hoping that in 2B, Ezra will punch him for kissing Aria. I would literally be smiling and clapping and crying tears of pure joy.**

**In the next chapter, it will be a bit happier than what we have seen in a while. I promised it'd get better and I am going to fulfill it in just two days! **

**Thank you for all your amazing support. You guys have been with me for nine months now and I cannot express in enough words how grateful I am. I have shown my friends these reviews and they have said to me, "These are some pretty cool people." And I just reply with, "I know " You guys have made such a difference in this story. It's not just my FanFic anymore. It's some of yours; between all of the reviews, PMs, tweets, and emails I get, you all deserve some credit. I am so happy to have all of you in my life!**

**Don't forget to review. Ideas, constructive criticism, compliments, etc, etc. You guys get my point. I love y'all so much! See on Wednesday! **


	9. Things We Left Behind Part 2

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 9: Things We Left Behind Part 2**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, I would include an Ezra shirtless scene every episode.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria cowered by the edge of the bar as Noel dropped his cell phone and attacked Jason, who was trying to reach her with a sadistic smile on his overly tan face. He grunted as Noel's body met his and the two men were sent flying against the pool table.

She heard Noel yell, "Jason! Stay away from her! Aria, go! Go now! I'll hold him off!"

She froze. She didn't know what to do. She was stuck between wanting to help Noel, who was struggling to hold Jason down and get to safety. She decided to help Noel and launched herself at the two men, leaping on Jason's back, ripping out his dirty blonde hair, mentally cringing as her curled fingers were met by overused hair gel.

Jason yowled in surprise as his body lurched up as Aria's made contact with his back, "What the hell? _Get off of me!_" He wiggled around and easily got the small woman off of him, sending her flying into the nearest wall. He charged after her, his eyes covered with his floppy hair, filled with anger. He backhanded her, one of his rings on his sweaty fingers cutting her soft cheek.

She cried out in pain and collapsed on the carpet. Through her blurry eyes she saw another masculine figure enter the bar. He was leaner than the other two and had curly black hair, "Noel, get him away from her! He glanced down at her and Aria watched as his blue eyes widened behind the long locks. He rushed beside her, stroking her cut cheek softly yet frantically, "Oh my goodness, Aria! Are you alright?"

"I t-think so…" Her mind couldn't register the man's voice for a moment. All she felt was the stinging from her cut.

The man leaned over and kissed her forehead softly with his lips, murmuring, "I won't let him hurt you anymore."

Finally she realized who her curly-hair, blue-eyed Superman was.

It was Ezra.

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra could tell that Aria didn't immediately recognize him. Her face was drawn in pain and confusion. He just kept murmuring her name until her beautiful hazel eyes widened and looked straight into his.

"Ezra?"

"I'm here. I'm here, baby. I won't let him hurt you anymore."

She fell into his arms and he kissed her brunette hair lovingly. He heard her tear choked voice say, "I was so selfish. And such a bitch to you. I don't deserve you. I don't deserve the kids. Hell, I don't deserve to be here right now."

"Shh. Don't say that, Aria. Sweetheart, look at me." Ezra pulled away from Aria and tapped her chin up so her gaze could meet his. He saw tears in the hazel depths and he wiped one of them away from her cheek, "It doesn't matter. I forgive you. I told you that I will love you forever and always. Because there is only one B-26 for me." He gave her a soft smile and was about to kiss her when something stopped his lips from meeting hers.

Noel shouted from across the room where Jason had pinned him on top of the pool table, "Umm, hello? Someone want to help me out here?"

Ezra shot away from Aria and across the room to tackle Jason to the nearest wall. He pinned him to it, his arm on his neck. Jason choked out, breathless, an idiotic smile still on his face, "Hey, Ezra, fancy meeting you here."

He threw him an evil grin, all of his teeth flashing between his soft lips, "If you ever come near Aria again, or even come within a quarter mile of her, I will not hesitate to break _every bone in your body. _Do you understand me?" When Jason didn't answer, he pressed his arm harder into the other man's throat, "I asked you a question. _Do you understand?"_

The moppy haired fellow nodded, gritting his teeth in frustration, "I understand."

Right then the bartender came out from behind the bar with a baseball in his hand, "You three. Outside! I don't need this crap in my bar." He tugged on Ezra's shoulder, but he shook him off, "Come on, buddy. Out."

Ezra glared at him with a furious expression before releasing his grip on Jason and going immediately over to help his wife, who was still on the floor. He helped her to her feet, looking down at her with a loving expression, "Are you alright?"

Aria nodded, holding her hand to her cut cheek, hiding it from his sights, "I'm fine."

"Let me look at that."

"Ezra, no. Really. I'm fine."

He flashed her boyish smile at her, "I'll be the judge of that." He gently took her wrist and softly tugging her hand away her face. He saw the cut and then he took a napkin from a nearby table to wipe the fresh blood away, "I think you'll survive."

Noel came back from outside and poked his head into the room with a sarcastic smile, his lip bloody, but besides that, he wasn't harmed from his scrap with Jason, "Okay, lovebirds. I don't want to interrupt, but I think that we better leave before the bartender calls the cops on us for fighting in here."

Ezra glanced up and threw his somewhat of a friend a smile, "We were just leaving."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria cleaned the stinging cut with some disinfectant in her parents' house's bathroom. Ezra watched her through the mirror, leaning against the door frame, his arms across his chest. She smiled sweetly at him and he returned it with all of his ultra white teeth flashing. She turned to face him, "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

He shrugged, his blue eyes shining with warmth, "Because I haven't seen you hardly at all in the past four days. I've missed you."

"I am sorry that I left-"

He held up his hands to stop her, coming into the bathroom, his grin widening, "Hush. I don't want to think about that. Let's just focus on the present and where we are right now." He took her into his arms and she snuggled her face into his chest.

"Ezra?"

"Mhmm?" He kissed her hair softly with his lips.

She pulled a few centimeters away to look into his big blue eyes, running her hand through his curly hair, "Are we going to be okay?"

He stroked her cut cheek and nodded, his eyes narrowed with focus and love, "I'll do _everything _in my power to make sure that we go back to normal." He chuckled, "Or whatever that is for us." Aria tried not to giggle, but ended up failing at her attempt. Ezra leaned in, bending his head so his face was just inches away from hers, "I've missed your laugh."

She twined her arms around her husband's neck, "I've just missed _you_." She closed the rest of the space between them and gently pressed her lips to his. They fit together like the final two pieces of a puzzle coming together to make a picture. Ezra slid his hands up and down his wife's waist, teasing the hem of her shirt. Aria cemented herself to his agile body, feeling his abs against her flat stomach. She missed the feeling of his hands on her. She missed the way their bodies moved together. She missed his sweet kisses. Because when they kissed, it felt like everything was perfect.

It felt like magic.

It felt like fireworks between them.

_It just felt like they were meant to be. Forever and always._

**Aww! They made up! How great am I for finally bringing some happiness to this sad story? Don't worry about the end coming either! I have a few promises to fill to some of my readers. And not everything can be fixed with just one small kiss. They still have some issues to work through before they go back to New York. **

**The total amount of chapters in this sequel varies, because it depends on how much you guys want. I'm not going to make it 52 chapters like the original fanfic, but I am thinking _logically _that 20-25 chapters should be good enough. Like I said, it depends on what you guys want. **

**Thank you guys for all of your support and reviews, which I am averaging at 13-15 a chapter, which beats A Romance to Last a Lifetime's by 3-5. You guys are amazing, between your reviews, tweets, emails, and PMs. So, don't forget to review some more! I am open to suggestions, AS ALWAYS!**

**Thank you again and I will see y'all on Friday for the next update!**


	10. Strolling Down Memory Lane

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 10: Strolling Down Memory Lane**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, I would make sure that we had a poker night between Caleb, Toby, and Ezra. **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_She twined her arms around her husband's neck, "I've just missed you." She closed the rest of the space between them and gently pressed her lips to his. They fit together like the final two pieces of a puzzle coming together to make a picture. Ezra slid his hands up and down his wife's waist, teasing the hem of her shirt. Aria cemented herself to his agile body, feeling his abs against her flat stomach. She missed the feeling of his hands on her. She missed the way their bodies moved together. She missed his sweet kisses. Because when they kissed, it felt like everything was perfect._

_It felt like magic._

_It felt like fireworks between them._

_It just felt like they were meant to be. Forever and always._

Ezra picked Aria up into his arms, their lips still locked in the passionate kiss. He tackled her onto the guest room bed and entangled his long fingers into her hair, holding her in the embrace tightly. She rolled on top of him and started to undo the buttons on his silky shirt, moaning in pleasure as her fingers met the smooth, marble-like surface of his skin. He flashed half of his smile as he felt her hands on his body. He moved his lips to her ear and murmured, "We don't have to if you don't want to."

Aria pulled back to look at her husband straight in the eyes and gave a slight nod, "I want to. I love you, Ezra."

His blue eyes were cautious but his smile widened as he leaned in to press his lips to hers hungrily again. He pulled her shirt over her head and traced a kiss down her neck to her shoulders. He used his fingers to gently go over the lace of her bra, pausing at the clasp with tender hands. He sighed and broke away again, "I'm not sure about this, Aria. We should wait until after tomorrow. I have to take you to a few places. I want to make sure that I fulfill my promise-"Aria's next kiss cut him off and he finally shut up long enough for things to get heated.

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra woke up the next morning with Aria entangled in his arms and his lips in her hair. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her neck, where a few hickeys were beginning to appear. Clothes were thrown across the room. He could actually see his jeans hanging by the chair in the farthest corner of the guest bedroom.

Aria stirred and rolled over, stretching out her stiff joints, blinking at her husband with a small grin, "Good morning." She kissed his nose before she leaned her forehead against his, "Last night was wonderful."

"Mhmm. I'd say so." His boyish smile widened and he reached up to smooth out her hair gently between his fingers. He kissed it before tucking it back into place behind her ear, "So, what did you dream about?"

Aria thought for a moment and then looked into his deep blue eyes, "I dreamt of day we arrived in Italy. We were so happy and carefree. We didn't care about anything but one another those two weeks we were together." She sighed, averting her gaze from his, tears beginning to form much to her chagrin, "I miss those days."

His hand fluttered at her undamaged cheek and he stroked it gently with his thumb, "Hush, my sweets." He sighed as well and then his bright smile reappeared as he gazed at her, "Just get ready for the day and you'll see what I have planned for us today. It'll be a homecoming for the both of us."

She reached up to brush the wispy black curls from his forehead and back into the place with the rest of his wavy bangs, "I will right beside you, then."

Ezra kissed her temple before wrapping a blanket around his bare waist and clambering out of the bed. He looked down at Aria with a mischievous smile, "I hope our clothes at least halfway survived the night. We tore them off pretty damn quick."

She sat up, holding a blue sheet to her bare chest, returning her husband's smile with her own, "It's been months since the last time we had sex, Ezra. We bottled it up for a long time, I suppose."

"Mhmm." He leaned down to make his lips just centimeters from hers, "Well worth the wait, though." He gently kissed her and she drug him down by his bare shoulders, his thick muscles rippling under the thin surface of his skin.

When they broke apart, Ezra kissed his wife one last time and stood back up to his feet, holding out his hand to her, "I feel the need for a shower. Would you like to join me?" He wiggled his wiry eyebrows at her and she giggled in response.

"I would love too."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria around the old apartment with narrowed hazel eyes and then over at Ezra, standing at her side. He caught her gaze on him and shot her a smirk, "Well, do you want to know why I brought you back here?"

She shook her head, "The concept is escaping me. Why are we here, Ezra?"

He pulled her into his arms, looking around the all too familiar place of where he used to call home, "My dear, this is where a whole lot started for us. I remember so much from this building. From the first time you came over to see me to the day we moved out. This is the place where we called home for those first years we were together." He pointed outside with one arm and wrapped the other around Aria's waist, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder, "Our first real date began right over there."

"I remember. You pulled up in that limo just as I was calling you. I thought that you had shown me up."

He smiled sweetly into the crape of her neck, kissing a few strands of her hair, "I don't think I had ever seen such a beautiful woman in my life. You were so spicy and bold in that red dress. I seriously thought that I'd never be able to take my eyes off of your body."

"It was Spencer's suggestion. She told me the day of the date to where something red and bold. So, I gladly followed her advice." She turned her head slightly so their cheeks could brush, "Thank you for bringing me back here."

Ezra kissed her jaw line gently with his soft lips, his blue eyes shining underneath those wild curls, "Anything for you, baby." He chuckled. He only ever called her that when he was comforting her, "Now, are you ready for the rest of the memory lane tour?"

"Lead the way, Mr. Fitz."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra guided his wife along the bumpy trail as they made their way to their meadow. He had discovered it eight and a half years ago when he had been on one of his morning runs. He decided that this was the place that they would call their own. They had wanted to build a cabin there eventually, but they have never had the chance to.

Aria recognized the trail immediately and when the trees began to open up and thin out, her face broke out into a wide smile, "Our meadow."

He nodded, squeezing her hand in response as he gazed around the grassy pasture with a grin flashing across his face, "Our meadow."

"Do you remember the first time that you brought me here?"

He nodded again, "The morning we found out that we were expecting our sweet little McKenzie." He looked around again, his eyes narrowed while the memory flashed in his mind.

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_"Ezra, where are you taking me?"_

_"Shhhh. I want you to be surprised."_

_Ezra had her blindfolded as he led her to the meadow. He found it on one of his runs and he thought that it would be perfect for the two of them._

_"Step over this log. Okay just a little bit farther. Alright," He faced her towards the flower filled pasture and dropped the blindfold from her eyes, "Open your eyes."_

_The first emotion that he saw fly on her face was initial shock. Then it worked its way to curiosity and adoration, "What is this place? It's beautiful."_

_"This is where the wedding ceremony is going to be."_

_She wiped a tear from her eyes and he took her into his arms and held her in a comforting hug, "Why are you crying, Aria?"_

_"They're not tears of sadness, smart one. They're tears of happiness. Pure happiness."_

_He started to softly sing the song,' Happiness' by the Fray, which was their love song, __"Happiness feels a lot like sorrow. Let it be; you can't make it come or go. "_

* * *

><p><em>Ezra, leaning against the Sedan, arms across his chest, watched Aria as she looked around the meadow, her eyes wide as a child's. Her face was bright with a smile and she walked back to Ezra, where he opened his arms for her to crawl into.<em>

_She snuggled her face into his shirt, her arms wrapping around him, "Thank you Ezra, for sharing this place for me."_

_He smiled into his hair, "Well, it's the least I can do since you'll be sharing the rest of your life with me."_

_She pulled out of his hug to give him a quick kiss, "Do you want to head to Hanna's?"_

_He shook his head, "Not quite yet. I just want to spend a little time alone with you and," He looked down at her stomach, "with little David or McKenzie."_

_Aria smiled brightly at him and leaned in to kiss her fiancé, which he meets without hesitation. Ezra laid on the hood of the car, pulling Aria up with him, their lips still locked._

_Their lips finally unlocked and he looked at her, "How about if we call this place ours from now on?"_

_He smiled wider at her response, "How about if we call this place home from now on?"_

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria cuddled into Ezra's arms as they laid on a blanket in the meadow, her head resting on his muscular chest. She felt his lips press into her brunette hair and she lifted her face up so their faces were just inches apart; kissing distance, "Ezra?"

"Yes, my sweet Aria?"

She reached up to brush the stray wisps of his wavy hair to the rest of his curls, "Thank you."

He opened his droopy eyes and gazed at her with a small smile, "For what exactly are you thanking me for? I'm sorry, sweetheart. You'll have to be more specific."

"For saving me from myself and the depths of my despair over losing…."She fought to choke it out, "_Mason._"

He nodded and kissed her softly before stroking her hair, "I was only doing my job. I love you, B-26. Forever and always."

"Forever and always."

**How about for the return of the fluff that I am such a master at? Now, I know it was a bit happy. Was that good for you guys? Maybe happy isn't your thing anymore. Do you want more sadness and tears? I'm just kidding! Things are only going to get better from here!**

**I Do Cherish You readers: I will continue after Double Infinity is complete. It is too hard for me to keep up with both. So, please forgive me!**

**Thank you my good friend Luciana (lulytaJB on twitter) for the great idea of Ezra taking around to some of the places they used to love. Now one more promise to fullfill when they go back to New York. I promise the reunion scene between Aria and Kenzie is turning out so beatiful. You're going love me, I am sure!**

**I am going to update Sunday or Monday, okay? I will aim for Sunday. I love y'all so much. Thank you for your guys's amazing support as this sequel has progressed. I truly appreciate it, from the bottom of my soul. Don't forget to review some more! We are at 110 right now! Let's get it even higher! **

**Love all of you! See you next update!**


	11. Home is Where The Heart Is

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 11: Home is Where the Heart Is**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, I would be the happiest person on the planet. **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria nervously looked out of the window as the plane began to descend to the John F. Kennedy Airport runway. She was on her way home. Her real home. New York City. Where her children, friends, career, and traumatizing almost three months waited for her.

Ezra sat beside her, clasping her hand. He gazed at her with cautious and guarded smoky dark blue eyes, "What are you thinking about?" He kept his sweet voice low enough for only her to hear.

She looked at him with a loving twinkle and she squeezed his hand in response to his question, "I'm thinking about going home to our children and seeing their beautiful faces again. They're probably going to be filled with questions on where I went."

He nodded, his wispy curls falling over his forehead, "Just tell them the truth."

"But will they understand?"

He chuckled softly, "Aria, give them some credit. Kenzie and Andrew are pretty sharp for being so young. They'll get why you left if you just tell them the truth." He fell silent for a moment before continuing in a tender murmur, "How about you tell them that you wanted to get away from the city for a while? That you went to Rosewood to get back in touch with what you grew up with? That'd be an honest answer, now wouldn't it?"

Aria smiled at him and reached over to brush his hair from his face, "What did I do to deserve you?"

A boyish charming smile spread across Ezra's face and he stroked her cheek gently with one of his soft hands, "All you did to earn me as your husband was smile and laugh and enjoy your life. You are the light of my world, Aria. Never forget that."

She blushed and blinked long lashes at him, "So, are you ready to face this mess together?"

Ezra lifted their entwined hands and kissed hers, looking at her with large smoldering dark blue eyes, the smile on his face widening as he murmured into his wife's skin, "Together. Forever and always."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra squeezed Aria's hand as they made their way to the flight gate and they began to look for Spencer, Hanna, and Emily who were waiting somewhere with McKenzie and Andrew. He looked over at his wife and saw caution on her face as she hesitantly made her way through the corridor.

Right at the end of the corridor was Spencer, holding the hands of Xavier and Andrew. Kenzie was between the bodies of Hanna and Emily, holding one of their hands with both of her own as she looked for her parents.

When they emerged from the walkway, the little girl broke away from her mother's friends and sprung straight for Aria's arms, screaming, "Mommy! Mommy!"

Aria caught her five and a half year old daughter, hugging her to her chest, pressing her face into her long, curly hair, "I'm here, baby. I'm here."

Ezra heard Kenzie cry into her mother's hair, "I thought you were gone forever! Please never leave us again!"

She pulled away from the five year old girl and looked at her straight in the eyes, tears springing up on her lashes, "Never again, sweetie. I will never leave you again."

McKenzie wiped her eyes as she hugged her mother again, "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, too, sweetheart. Forever and always."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

It had been over a week since Aria and Ezra returned from Rosewood and they soon forgot that anything happened. The kids did, anyway. They went back to their normal lives. There was still tension between Aria and Ezra when it came to the depression medication and the continuation to see her therapist Amanda Rose. The most stressful thing for Ezra, however, was the refusal that Aria held to go where their son was buried. Since her miscarriage, she had not visited the site and Ezra knew that it was a viable part in her emotional recovery.

Aria shook her head and crossed her arms across her chest, "No, Ezra."

"Please, Ar? For me?"

She rolled her eyes, "Your asking me to get out of this car and go over where _our son _is buried? I can't do that. My baby boy is six feet under the surface of the ground and I don't think I can handle standing on the ground where his body is. I just can't."

Ezra sighed and tipped his head to the side, gazing at his stubborn wife with wide dark blue eyes, "Sweetheart, I want this for you. I want you to be able lay fresh flowers on his tombstone. I want you to be able to stand where his body is. I want you to be able to recover _emotionally _from his loss."

She sniffled and wiped a tear from her eyes, "Ezra…please. I don't think I can do this."

He nodded and a smile pulled at the corners of his lips to encourage her, "I know you can, Aria. I believe in you." He loosened up his shoulders and stepped out the Sedan and went to the passenger side. He opened Aria's door and held out his hand to her.

His wife took his hand and slowly stood. Ezra pulled her close to him, kissing her hair, his blue eyes closed, whispering softly in her ear, "You can do this."

She took in a shaky breath and together, as husband and wife, they walked slowly towards to where their unborn son was buried. His tombstone read: _Mason Carter Fitz: In Loving Memory of the Son We Never Met. _Fresh flowers laid there already, as they did every week, since Ezra brought Kenzie and Andrew here to place flowers on the grave every Sunday.

Ezra squatted down and placed fresher flowers on the tombstone. He hesitated as his hand ran over the cool metal where the name _Mason _was engraved. He wiped his own eyes, his shoulders beginning to shake. Aria grasped them to hold them still as she took a knee, nestling her head into her husband's upper arm.

She heard him murmur, "_Happiness feels a lot like sorrow. Let it be. You can't make it come or go." _His voice broke and he turned his head into the crook of his wife's neck.

Aria had never seen such a broken man. He always tried to his best to be strong, when, really, he was hurting just as much as she was. He missed Mason just like she did. He wanted him back, too. He felt like a failure as a father because he wasn't able to stop him from dying.

Aria never thought that she'd have to see him in such a fragile state. She whispered to him, "Ezra. Hey, honey. Look at me." Her husband slowly averted his tear-filled dark blue eyes to meet hers. Her voice was shaky as well, "I'm here, Ezra. I'm always here."

He smiled weakly at her as more tears continued to fall from his eyes. He didn't bother to wipe them away, "I want him here just as much as you do, Aria. But this happened and we have to find the best way to deal with it. I know he's not coming back, but I just wish…" He broke off for a very long moment before continuing shakily, "that I could have held him _at least once_."

"I wish that too." Her own tears began to fall. She had been crying for months. A few more tears didn't mean a difference, "It is what it is, though. We have to deal with it the best way we can, just like you said."

Ezra kissed her cheek and together, they stared down at where their son's body laid. The cool wind blew over the cemetery, through the leafless trees, sending chills down both of their spines. They didn't care though. They had each other. Forever and always.

**Did anyone else cry at the thought of Ezra crying? As I write this authors note, I am wiping tears from my eyes. He crying makes my heart break into a million little pieces. **

**Another big thank you my good friend Luciana (lulytaJB on twitter) for the heartwarming idea of Aria and McKenzie's emotional reunion. Their mother-daughter relationship is so sweet. And I plan to be working with it for another few chapters (9 to be exact!)**

**I Do Cherish You readers: I will continue after Double Infinity is complete. It is too hard for me to keep up with both. So, please forgive me!**

**I am going to update either tomorrow or Wednesday. Don't forget to review! Ideas, suggestions, constructive criticism, you catch my drift? I am always open to more help! You guys rock my socks! Love y'all! See you soon! **


	12. Wow That Was A Surprise

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 12: Wow. That Was A Surprise. **

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, Ezria would be pretty much the whole show.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL **

Christmas season approached for the Fitz family. A whole month had passed since Ezra and Aria returned from Rosewood. Now Aria was taking Kenzie shopping for their annual Christmas party at their house. This was their mother-daughter day; there were only so many days that she could tear her away from her notebook.

Aria went through the rack while Kenzie sat on a chair, swinging her little legs bag and forth, gazing at her, "Mommy? Are we almost done? My feet hurt?"

She looked over her shoulder at her daughter and gave her a sweet smile, "Yeah. A little longer for our shopping trip and then we can go get some hot chocolate, okay?"

The little girl nodded, grinning at the prospect of chocolate. She stood from her chair and helped her mother go through the rack. She saw a small red dress with white trimmings and thin straps. It came with a cute santa hat. The five year old looked at it with interest and then up at her mother, "Can we get this one, Mommy? It's the only one I like."

Aria took the dress from the rack and looked at the size. It was just the size they needed. She giggled, "Okay. We can get it."

Kenzie wiped her forehead as if she had just finished a strenuous task with the back of her hand, "Thank goodness that's over! Now we can go get some hot chocolate!" Suddenly the little girl's face went blank and she shook her head, "Can I ask you something?"

_Uh oh. _"What's the matter, sweetie?" Aria knelt beside Kenzie, stroking her arm comfortingly.

Her daughter gazed at her with those big blue eyes that reminded her so much of Ezra; especially with her dark brown wispy curls falling over her forehead, "You're not going to leave again, are you?"

Right then, Aria heard her heart shatter inside of her chest. She knew this day would come, but then again she had hoped that Kenzie would eventually forget that she had ever left New York. So much for that dream coming true, "Never again, sweetheart. I will never leave you or your brother again. I am always here to say."

Kenzie sniffled as she stuttered out, "Mommy, why did you leave? What made you leave us?" She wiped her nose with her sleeve.

She took a deep shaky breath and hugged her daughter to her chest, kissing her soft curly. This little girl was the light of her world. The one she could call her own. Now she was falling apart in her arms. She had to fix this. _Now."_Baby, girl, listen to me. I left because I couldn't bear to stay another day without going home and fixing things where it all started. I really miss your brother Mason. Your Mommy has some boo boos that she needs to fix."

Kenzie pulled away and wiped her eyes again, blinking those big blue eyes at her mother, "Are you going to get better?"

Aria wiped the tears from her daughter's face, kissing her forehead, "I really hope so, baby. I really hope so."

Kenzie smiled a small grin, "Can we go get some hot chocolate now?"

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL **

Barely a week later, right on Christmas Eve, Ezra was hanging up the mistletoe at the entrance to the living room. He smiled at all the memories in the past six years of the fun moments him and Aria had had underneath the mistletoe. So, so, so much fun.

Two arms twined around his waist and he smiled, looking over his shoulder at his wife, "Why, hello there."

She stretched up and kissed the back of his neck, "I thought we could continue our tradition."

He turned around completely and held her petite his waist with his gentle hands, pressing her to his torso, "Mmm. I suppose we could do that." He flashed a smile and bent his head to kiss her, feeling her arms twine around his neck, knotting in his curly hair.

The kiss ended abruptly as an alarm on his watch went off. It was officially Christmas. He kissed his wife's nose, "Merry Christmas, Aria." He murmured into her ear as he hugged her to his body.

She smiled into his chest, "Merry Christmas, Ezra."

Ezra pulled away and reached into his pajama pocket, taking out a jewelry case. For our eleventh Christmas together." He flipped open the lid to reveal a heart shaped diamond necklace.

He heard his wife's sharp intake of breath in surprise and then in awe as she gazed at the beautiful gift, "Ezra, it's beautiful. Thank you so, so, so much." She stretched up to kiss her husband again, her hand dancing across his cheek.

"Let me put it on." Aria turned her back to him as he swung the necklace over and around her neck, clipping the clasp with one motion of his gentle fingers, "There we go. It's beautiful on you." He swallowed, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek with his thumb, "You're always beautiful, Aria."

She kissed his cheek and then grinned up at him, biting her bottom lip, "So, are you ready to find out your Christmas surprise?"

"I really don't need anything."

"Well I can't return it. It's sort of here to stay." She pulled him to their bedroom bathroom and had him look into the sink. He glanced into it and there laid the pregnancy test. His blue eyes widened with surprise and ran his hand through his curly hair.

"Aria, are you…."

She hugged him close to her.

"Ezra, I'm pregnant."

**Don't forget to review! Ideas, suggestions, constructive criticism, you catch my drift? I am always open to more help! You guys rock my socks! Love y'all! See you soon!**


	13. Somewhere Only We Know

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 13: Somewhere Only We Know**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, we'd have a special for EVERY holiday.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_She kissed his cheek and then grinned up at him, biting her bottom lip, "So, are you ready to find out your Christmas surprise?"_

_"I really don't need anything."_

_"Well I can't return it. It's sort of here to stay." She pulled him to their bedroom bathroom and had him look into the sink. He glanced into it and there laid the pregnancy test. His blue eyes widened with surprise and ran his hand through his curly hair._

_"Aria, are you…."_

_She hugged him close to her._

_"Ezra, I'm pregnant."_

Ezra's face broke out into a wide smile, "You're pregnant again?"

Aria wiped a small tear from her eye, leaning against the bathroom wall, "I am. Didn't you see the blue plus sign?"

"How long have you known?"

She gave him a small smile, the corners of her lips slowly pulling up, "A week or so. I wanted it to be a Christmas surprise." She wiped another tear from her eye.

He stepped closer to her, swiping a lock of her hair behind her ear, "Sweetheart, why are you crying?" When she didn't answer him, he wrapped her up into his arms and pressed her to his chest. He heard her sob into his shirt and he gently kissed her long brunette hair as he murmured to her, "Aria, hey. I'm here. I'm right here. Just talk to me. You're scaring me right now."

Ezra heard Aria mumble brokenly against his shirt as she stuttered out, "Ezra, I don't want to lose another baby. What if something else goes wrong? We've already lost Mason. What if we lose this little one, too?"

He pulled away from her and looked at her straight in the eyes that he loved so much. He stroked her cheek softly with his gentle fingers, "Aria," His voice was soft as he continued murmuring, "We are going to do everything in our power to stop that from happening." Ezra cupped her face with his hands and continued to stroke her cheeks. He leaned down to press his lips to her forehead, "We are in this together."

Aria looked up at him with tear filled hazel eyes, smiling a tentative grin, "I love you, Ezra." She giggled for a moment, wiping a tear from her cheek, "We're going to be parents again."

Ezra's face broke out into a boyish smile, "I can't wait." They hugged one another and Ezra pressed his lips into her hair, inhaling the scent of her sweet shampoo, "It is a very Merry Christmas indeed."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Kenzie and Andrew came tearing through the bedroom door and started to jumping up and down on their sleeping parents beds, yelling, "Wake up, wake up! It's Christmas! It's Christmas!"

Aria stirred with her husband's arm around her waist, holding her to his muscular body. She looked over her shoulder into his tired dark blue eyes and gave him a small smile. He returned it and leaned over to kiss her temple, "Merry Christmas."

Kenzie wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Can you at least wait for us to leave the room?"

Ezra slowly sat up with a chuckle and reached over to ruffle his daughter's hair, "Go and wait for us by the tree. We'll be right out."

Andy and McKenzie left the room but Aria giggled when she heard Andy tell her sister as they walked down hall, "It's going to be forever before we get to unwrap our presents."

Ezra leaned over and kissed her and after a moment, he separated his lips from hers, looking deep into her eyes, "About what we talked about last night? Are we going to tell them or not? I mean, this effects them, too."

She sighed and nodded, shoving her husband's curly hair out of the way of his blue eyes, stroking his stubby cheek softly with her hand, "Ezra, we have to! We can't just pack up and take off with them and Snoopy without them questioning why we're leaving. So, yes. We _have _to tell them."

He nodded and then gave her a tight smile, "I'll make the calls today then. I'm sure he'll be happy to have us up there. After all, he must get pretty lonely, especially after that nasty divorce."

She gave Ezra a small peck on his lips, "Now, are we going to get out there to see what Santa brought them?"

He stretched out his shoulders and shot her his boyish grin, causing her cheeks to flare a light pink, "Let's get to it then!"

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Andy sat in his camouflage pajamas at the kitchen table sketching away on his sketchpad, a colored pencil in his fingers. He flipped his bangs out of his eyes as his father approached, looking up with a smile, "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, pal." He sat next to Andy, ruffling the four year olds curly hair, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure. Fire away." His son put his colored pencil down on the table top and turned his attention to his father.

Ezra took a deep breath and looked at his son straight in the eyes, "You know how you, your sister, and Snoopy were really sad when your little brother didn't come home with us three months ago?" Andrew nodded and he continued, "Well, I know you guys were really upset. But the good news is that, well," He paused for a moment, "Mommy is having another baby."

He watched as Andrew's eyes got very large; about the size of saucers, "She is?"

"She is, buddy. You're going to be a big brother."

Andy pursed his lips and his blue eyes glistened a little bit. He hardly ever cried in front of his dad. In front of Aria, it was fine, but he wanted to be strong like Ezra always appeared to be, "For real this time? We actually get to see him and hold him and stuff like that?"

Ezra reached over and ruffled his son's hair again before pulling him in for a hug, kissing his forehead, "Yeah, buddy. For real this time."

Andrew pulled away and his face was broken out into a bright smile, "So, when is he going to be here? Is he going to be big like me or tiny like Kenzie? What will he look like? Will he be normal or will he have three eyes? Will he have six arms? Oh my gosh! What if he's a puppy, like Snoopy?"

He laughed at Andrew's questions, "We don't know if he's not a she yet, Andy. And the baby can look whatever he or she wants to look like, I suppose." He dropped his voice so then only his son could hear him, "They're going to be stubborn like your mother."

Aria came out of the living room with Kenzie and Snoopy following close behind, "I heard that, boys. Learn how to whisper better."

Kenzie ran up beside her brother and father, bouncing up and down with excitement, "Did Daddy tell you?"

Andrew nodded enthusiastically, "Yep! We're going to big siblings!" They high fived one another, laughing like a pair of hyenas.

Aria sighed with exhaustion and sat on Ezra's lap, leaning against his larger body. He rubbed her back, pressing his lips to her long hair, "You want to tell them now or later? We're leaving in three days, after all."

Kenzie looked up with wide blue eyes, "Tell us what? Where are we going?"

She rolled her eyes and whispered under her breath so only Ezra could hear her, "I guess we're going with right now." She raised her voice as she continued, facing her children, "Alright, you two. We're going to go away for a while. Until after the baby is born. We are going up to see your Grandpa Issac. Do you remember him? He invited us to stay with him."

Her children looked extremely confused so Ezra added to his wife's statement, "We're going to be up there for the next year. Kenzie, don't worry about school either. Where we're going , they have an amazing school." He looked over at Andrew, "Plus a good art program. I already checked into it. You guys are going to have an amazing time."

Kenzie was silent and Aria was worried. She had never seen her daughter so quiet before, "Hey, sweetie. It's going to be okay. Like Daddy said, we're going to a real fun place."

The five year old sighed and looked up with watering blue eyes, "Why are we leaving? Can't we just stay here? Why do we have to leave and go somewhere?"

Ezra put his hand on her tiny shoulder, "Mommy needs special care for her and the new baby's sake. And our old baby doctor lives up north. Don't worry. We are coming back. It's just going to be a while."

"Dr. Derek lives there?" Kenzie remembered her old doctor. He had been at all of her birthday parties because he practically saved her life when she was a newborn, when she wasn't breathing right.

Aria nodded, hugging Andrew into a tight embrace, "He does." She pressed her lips to her son's hair, running her fingers through the curly locks, "So, are you two cool with this? I know we're taking you away from your friends and the only place you really know, but it's what's best for our family. Do you two understand that?"

Andy looked up at his mother with a warm gaze, "I'm cool with it, Mommy. Besides," He smiled over at Ezra mischievously, "I want to draw more than just a tree."

He chuckled at that comment, "You'll have plenty more than that, I assure you." He looked at Kenzie with a loving twinkle in his blue eyes, "So, sweet pea, are you okay with this?"

She hesitated before slowly nodding and she smiled over at her father, "So, where are we going exactly?"

Aria and Ezra's gazes met and when she gave him an approving nod, he turned back to their five year old daughter.

"Alaska. Juneau, Alaska."

**Where did that one come from? Geez, this Christmas just keeps on getting better, now doesn't it?**

**Now I hope all of you enjoyed this much longer chapter. I know the last one was short and sort of a filler/cliffhanger. But, hey, sometimes a writer just needs to post that kind of chapter to make the next one all the more exciting. **

**I Do Cherish You readers: I will continue after Double Infinity is complete. It is too hard for me to keep up with both. So, please forgive me!**

**I officially do not know when this sequel is going to end. It may not be as soon as I thought it would. I am aiming for 25-30 chapters now. So, just to let you know that it won't be ending anytime soon. **

**Big thanks to my 'unofficial' beta and as I like to call her, my "Yoda." So, a big applause to my Twitter pal, my writing guide, and a fellow spiritual warrior, h8tedit. You rock!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop writing nine months ago, with just a ten shot. It turned into a 52 chapter story. Then it grew into a sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. **


	14. Hummingbird Heartbeat

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 14: Hummingbird Heartbeat**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, Ian Harding would have his biggest fan beside him every day. ME! **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

A gentle shake on her shake woke Aria. She slowly blinked open her hazel eyes to meet her father-in-law's gaze. He gave her a small smile, resembling his oldest son greatly as he did so, "Time to wake up. You have a big day today."

That was when she remembered. Today was the first ultrasound that she would have in her pregnancy. She'd been pregnant for around fourteen weeks and living in Alaska for almost nine. It was different in Juneau. Since it was in the beginning of February, the days were short and cold. There was snow everywhere, but her children enjoyed playing in it with Snoopy. Derek Phillips, her gynecologist from when she was pregnant with McKenzie had a private practice downtown the small village. He was happy to have Aria as his patient again and he held appointments with her once a week.

Ezra was working at the local university part time. Nick, the president of Columbia University, was not happy when he quit out of thin air. Ezra didn't mind what the older man thought, though. He'd rather spend time with his family and take care of his wife while she endured her fourth pregnancy.

The only people who knew where they were Emily, Spencer, and Hanna. Hanna and Caleb moved into their house for the time being since their apartment lease was up. Then of course Issac knew. But Sarah, Ella, and Byron had no idea where their children and grandchildren were.

Issac, Ezra's father, seemed to enjoy having them up in Alaska with him. He retired early and finally decided to move to where his former vacation spot was; a large, beautiful log cabin on a small mountain right off of the coast of the Gulf of Alaska. He had had a nasty divorce with his now ex-wife, Jackie, as well as custody battle over their two year old daughter, Maggie. He eventually got full custody of her since Jackie decided that she didn't seem to want to be a single parent. Issac was happy to finally have a daughter, even if he was almost fifty. He loved his little girl very much, finally understanding what it's like to be a real father to a child, and not what he was to his two older children, Ezra and his other son, Daniel.

He used to be a very heavy drinker and when Ezra lived with him after his first divorce with Sarah, he beat him terribly. Eventually, Ezra got emancipated and moved in with his grandmother while his father was sent to prison and then to rehab. He was sober now, but he was still hesitant around alcohol as well as young children. He was afraid that he would hurt them.

Aria nodded at Issac and gave him a small smile, "Is Ezra still here?"

He shook his head, "He took the kids and Snoopy down to the harbor. It's the first time since you guys have been here that the sun has been out. He wanted them to enjoy it."

"Alright then."

Issac narrowed his smoky dark blue eyes as he looked down at his daughter-in-law, "Are you feeling alright this morning? You look kind of sick."

She slowly sat up and he helped her gently with his rough fishing hands, "I'm okay, Issac. I really am. Just morning sickness."

"Ah. A woman thing. I'll, uh, leave you to get ready then." He shot her one last smile and exited the large bedroom.

She looked after him with a relieved sigh. Aria could remember when her and Ezra went to Hilton Head before they got married and Issac had been there with his then fiancée, Jackie Molina. Aria had made the mistake of getting very defensive over Ezra's childhood and slapped the hell out of Jackie's cheek. When Issac found out, it was not a good situation to be in, for any of them….

* * *

><p><em>A half hour later, Ezra watched his fiancée sleep, her face facing his, gently murmuring his name. He took his finger and tucked a loose hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek with his thumb. He leaned in to kiss her forehead just as pounding on the door sounds. Aria groaned but didn't wake up, her breathing deepening as she fell back into dreaming. Ezra slipped out from under the bedspread and puts a pair of board shorts.<em>

_He opened the door just in time for a fist to meet his nose. He yelled in pain as the small bone breaks and looks into the blue eyes of his attacker._

_Issac's blue eyes were bloodshot and angry, "That...that slut of yours attacked my Jackie!"_

_Anger rushed through Ezra immediately and he didn't hesitate to tackle his father into the wall across from the room. He felt strong movements from Issac, pain soaring through his ribs as he constantly felt a knee meet them, hearing the air being rushed out of his lungs as Issac constantly pounded him. He collapsed on the ground, gasping._

_"EZRA!" He squinted his eyes through the pain to see Aria run into the hall and hop onto his father's back, ripping out the curly black hair on his head. Issac twisted and got the girl off him without any difficulty, shoving her into the door, having her cry out in pain as her back slams into the wood._

_Something snapped in Ezra, an angry so red, he couldn't see. Without thinking, he ignored the pain in his chest and stomach, getting up off the carpet and tackling his dad into the suite, throwing punches at the man's spine. Issac didn't react except for swinging around his leg to Ezra's head, kicking it sideways._

This can't be happening_was all that Aria could think of as she watched Issac's leg swing around and hit her fiancé at the side of his head._

_SNAP_

_Aria heard a moan escape Ezra's bloody mouth as his long legs crumple underneath him and he collapsed on the floor, his eyes rolling to the back of his head._

* * *

><p>She knew that Issac had done all that he could to change his old ways. Aria knew that Ezra still had some issues with his own father, but that was to be expected, especially after all that he went through. But they were all at peace up in Juneau and nothing could disturb their peace. They were away from the stress of living a big city and all of their burdens that they left in Rosewood.<p>

Aria felt like there was still something missing though. She didn't know what it was. She felt like she was finally on the mend to emotional recovery from her miscarriage and losing Mason, but she knew that she'd always somewhat blame herself for his death.

She swung her legs around to the edge of the bed and looked down at her stomach, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips as she caressed her tiny baby bump. She murmured to her unborn child, "I will always keep you safe, baby. I won't let anything happen to you. I love you, sweetheart. Mommy loves you."

Aria didn't realize that she had been sitting like that for over fifteen minutes and she looked up when she heard a knock on the door. Her eyes met her husband's as Ezra watched her, leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed. He flashed his boyish smile at her, "Good morning, beautiful." He paused before continuing, looking at her up and down before finally meeting her gaze again, "You nervous about today?"

"A little bit."

Ezra nodded in understanding and walked further into the room, kneeling on the carpet in front of her, taking her hands in his. He gazed up into her eyes with a loving twinkle in the dark blue depths, "To be honest, I am too. But you know what? We're going to see our baby today. We're going to see our son or daughter for the first time. So, my enthusiasm overtakes my nervousness."

She leaned down to kiss him and when their lips parted, she shoved his curly bangs out of the way of his beautiful eyes, a smiling finally sprouting on her face, "How's the weather outside today?"

Her husband's face lit up at the question, "Well, for Valentine's Day, it is a cool sunny day at a steady twenty degrees." He lifted himself onto the bed to sit beside her, wrapping his arm around his wife, hugging her gentle, his other hand sliding over the small baby bump, pausing there. He leaned over to press his lips into his wife's hair as he whispered into her ear, "We better get going. We don't want to be late, do we?"

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra escorted his wife into the small doctor's office and was met by a warm smile and hand shake by Derek Phillips. In all the years that they have known him, he hadn't changed at all. He was still stocky and used way too much hair gel in his silver locks. He was near seventy and he was still working hard. He loved his job all too much to retire.

"Ezra! Good to see you again! How are you enjoying Alaska so far?" Derek asked as he led them back into the sonogram machine was located.

Ezra shrugged and chuckled, "It's different but our family is adjusting well to the colder weather."

Derek smiled brightly at him and Aria, "It takes a while to get used to, but by the time that this pregnancy is over and you guys head back to New York, you won't want to leave." He whistled as he helped Aria lay down on the retractable chair, "So, sweetheart, how have to been feeling this past week?"

She shrugged, "The morning sickness seems to be taking hold of me more than anything. But after being pregnant before, it's something that I've just adjusted to."

He took some notes on that statement and then looked up with a wide mischievous smile, "Are you ready to see your baby now?"

Ezra and Aria both nodded and watched as he flipped on the machine and put the warm gel on Aria's stomach after folding her blouse over her belly button. He took the sonogram machine's wand and slid it over her stomach.

Holding his wife's hand, Ezra glanced up at the screen. There, just ten weeks into the first trimester, was a small unborn baby. He grinned, wiping a tear from his eye, "Is that him-or her, I mean?"

"No, Ezra, that's just a magical leprechaun, looking for a pot of gold in Aria's womb." Derek rolled his eyes and then his smile widened as he turned the volume to the machine on, "If you listen closely, you can hear your child's heartbeat. It's going to be like a hummingbird, light and quick."

And that's when they heard it; a hummingbird-like heartbeat. Ezra and Aria exchanged a look of love and excitement as they listened to the rhythm of their child's heart. It was soothing, like a piece of music by Mozart or Beethoven. It was magical.

It was the sound of the life that they had made.

**A sweet little chapter for some Turkey Day spirits. In the next chapter, we'll see what kind of a person Issac has turned into and what kind of a father he is to his young daughter. Then a little Valentine's Day romance for Ezra and Aria. I know all of you are going to enjoy that. But please remember: This is Rated T for a reason. I am very conservative and when it comes to the details of their physical relationship…..well, I don't like to go into that much. I will do my best, though! Check out Chapter 51 of A Romance to Last a Lifetime is you want to re-live the most description I have put into the physical stuff. It's just the way I like to write; clean but still enjoyable. **

**I Do Cherish You readers: I will continue after Double Infinity is complete. It is too hard for me to keep up with both. So, please forgive me!**

**I officially do not know when this sequel is going to end. It may not be as soon as I thought it would. I am aiming for 25-30 chapters now. So, just to let you know that it won't be ending anytime soon. **

**Big thanks to my 'unofficial' beta and as I like to call her, my "Yoda." So, a big applause to my Twitter pal, my writing guide, and a fellow spiritual warrior, h8tedit. You rock!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart. **

**Have a very happy Thanksgiving. Does anyone else eat ham like me, since turkey, in my opinion, is disgusting and makes me sick to my stomach? Just a random question. Update to come Friday or Saturday. Love y'all!**


	15. One and Only

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 15: One and Only**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, Lady Antebellum music would be used A LOT **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_And that's when they heard it; a hummingbird-like heartbeat. Ezra and Aria exchanged a look of love and excitement as they listened to the rhythm of their child's heart. It was soothing, like a piece of music by Mozart or Beethoven. It was magical._

_It was the sound of the life that they had made._

Aria squeezed Ezra's hand and he met her gaze with his own with his landmark boyish smile, "Still nervous?"

She shook her head, tears beginning to bubble up to her eyes, completely forgetting that a seventy year old doctor was just two feet away from her, "A bit. But I'm really excited now. I love you, Ezra. Happy Valentine's Day."

His smile widened even more, "I love you, too." He kissed her for a moment and when he heard a cough come from Derek Phillips, he broke away from his wife, chuckling, "Sorry, Derek. So, is the baby healthy?"

The wise old man nodded, the light catching his overly gelled white hair, making it shine, "As far as I can see, this baby is going to be the healthiest child the world has ever seen. The tear is still stitched and from your miscarriage-"Derek broke off when Aria flinched away and pressed her face into Ezra's shirt, "I mean, this baby is going to be very healthy."

"Thank you, sir. Are there any precautions that we have to take to make sure that they stay like that?"

The doctor thought for a moment and then began to nod slowly, "Plenty of fluids and rest. I am going to prescribe some vitamins for you to keep your strength up. Don't forget to get some fresh air; gentle exercise is fine, but don't overdo it." He grinned at the couple that he had grown to think of more than just his patients, but his two friends, "You are going to be fine, Aria. Just follow these simple things and you and your baby will be perfect in a few months."

She gave her doctor a hug after she stood from the ultrasound machine's chair, nestle the side of her head into his shoulder, "Thank you so much, Derek. I really appreciate all of your help."

He chuckled and kissed her hair, "It's my job, sweetheart." He pulled away and shook Ezra's hand, "Have a very Happy Valentine's Day to the both of you."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Issac shouted from the kitchen, "Time for bed, kids!"

The three children, Kenzie, Andrew, and Maggie, groaned and mumbled as they started for their bedrooms. Issac ruffled Andrew's hair and kissed Kenzie and Maggie's foreheads, "Sleep tight all of you. See you in the morning." He bent down to pat Snoopy's head before heading outside to watch the sunset.

Ezra and Aria looked up at him as he made his way back to the back porch. The older man nodded to them in greeting, trying not to disturb the still silence in the chilly air.

Ezra, after a moment, without untangling himself from a droopy eyed Aria, spoke first, "Hey Pops. Did you get the kids to bed alright without us?"

His father nodded, "They went straight to their rooms. And I already have _Happiness _playing in Kenzie's bedroom so then she can go right to sleep." He paused before meeting his son's gaze, "Am I disturbing you two out here? I mean it is Valentine's Day. Should I go back inside or…?"

Aria giggled, her cheeks turning pink at Issac's comment, "Just shut up and watch the sunset will you?"

"No, I think I'll head down to the harbor." Without another word, the older man trekked off down the porch steps and down the path he had made to make it to a part of the harbor of the coast of the Gulf of Alaska.

Ezra sighed in relief, "Now, where were we?"

"Right about here, I think." They smiled at one another and their lips met in the middle. Things soon got heated and Ezra's shirt was soon in a bush."

He moved his lips to her ear and breathed heavily, "Do you want to move this party inside?" He chuckled, his warm breath against her soft skin, "Or do you want to go for a swim?"

She rolled her eyes and pulled away from his warm body, "In the middle of February, you want to go and get hypothermia after swimming in some of the coldest waters in the world?"

He kissed her neck, smiling his boyish grin, "You know I'd keep you warm." He shook his head, "I don't want you getting sick. But we can still go inside…"

She pressed her lips to his and then hopped off of his lap, "Are you going to go in there with me or not?" She pulled her blouse her head and instantly felt the sting of the Alaskan chill hit her skin, a chill going down her back."

Ezra chuckled again and hopped up to his feet, scooping his wife up easily into his long agile arms, his lips crushing hers. He instinctively walked them to their bedroom at the end of the hall, kicking the door tightly shut behind them. He laid Aria on the bed and she scooted up to the pillows, smiling at him seductively.

He grinned at her and climbed on top her, his body cemented to hers. He pressed his lips to hers again, his hands, caressing her waist, and he moved her hips with his wife's. Ezra felt Aria's hands slide down his chest to his belt buckle, trying to undo the strap. He was finally able to undo the clasp of her lacy undershirt and it went limp under him. He didn't bother to remove it, either.

Ezra pulled back from Aria to find his wife's hazel eyes shining up at him with lust and love. She murmured breathlessly, "I love you, Ezra."

He whispered back, "I love you too, Aria. Happy Valentine's Day."

**I know it's short, but I really enjoyed writing it. Again, this story is Rated T for a reason. I am very conservative and when it comes to the details of their physical relationship…..well, I don't like to go into that much. I will do my best, though! Check out Chapter 51 of A Romance to Last a Lifetime is you want to re-live the most description I have put into the physical stuff. It's just the way I like to write; clean but still enjoyable.**

**I Do Cherish You readers: I will continue after Double Infinity is complete. It is too hard for me to keep up with both. So, please forgive me!**

**I officially do not know when this sequel is going to end. It may not be as soon as I thought it would. I am aiming for 25-30 chapters now. So, just to let you know that it won't be ending anytime soon. **

**Big thanks to my 'unofficial' beta and as I like to call her, my "Yoda." So, a big applause to my Twitter pal, my writing guide, and a fellow spiritual warrior, h8tedit. You rock!**

**I love you guys. The other day, I received my first hate mail for A Romance to Last a Lifetime and I felt rather discouraged. Then, a lot of you sent me messages on Tumblr and Twitter to ignore it and just keep writing, because it's what I'm best at. So, a big thank you to all of you. Every single one of you have a special place in my heart for encouraging me and staying with this fanfic for almost 10 months. I could not have accomplished this much without you. So, again, thank you. So, so, so, so much!**

**A MUCH LONGER update on Tuesday. And that's a promise I intend on keeping. Thank you again. I love y'all. See you on Tuesday! **


	16. Gone Too Soon Part 1

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 16: Gone Too Soon Part 1  
><strong>

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, don't you think that Ezra and Aria would be married by now? **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

February soon smoothly went to March and then quickly fast forwarded to the end of April. May was just a blink of an eye and then June finally arrived. Ezra and Aria were finally getting used to Alaska weather; though it was almost time for them to go home as Aria's due date was approaching quickly. Kenzie was enjoying school and Andy was attending morning classes in preschool, leaving Aria and Issac alone with Maggie and Snoopy during the day.

Issac walked in through the back door around one in the afternoon with a fishing hat on his head and a fishing pole in his hand. Aria looked up from her place on the couch where she was ready a book. Derek had put her on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy at the end of April and she was content with just hanging around the cabin watching Maggie while Issac went fishing down at the harbor. It wasn't like when she was pregnant with Kenzie and she couldn't stand the never-ending rest.

Maggie waved at her father and went back to scribbling a picture on a piece of paper with her blue Crayola crayon. He kissed the top of her head as he walked into the kitchen. He called to Aria, "You want anything, Aria? Coffee, tea, some peanut butter?"

She thought for a moment. This pregnancy seemed to bring out her cravings more than her previous ones. Ezra and Issac had to constantly stock the kitchen to make sure that she had enough to eat, "Umm, how about a sandwich with some _Nutella _and then a cup of coffee?"

Issac's rough laugh echoed through the entire cabin, "You go through _Nutella _like an alcoholic goes through a bottle of rum." He paused before continuing, "Coming right up, sweetheart."

"Thanks, Dad." The name for her husband's father tasted foreign on her tongue but that's what the older man preferred to be called. Only his ex-wives called him Issac, usually followed by an insult. He didn't care though. He was finally happy with where his life was and he didn't intend on screwing it up.

When Aria's snack was finished being made, Issac carried it out to her, the sight the sandwich with the hazelnut-chocolate spread already making her drool. Her hormones made her smell it and she reached out for it with eager hands.

Her father-in-law chuckled as he handed the food and coffee to her, "You are pregnant with my son's baby. I remember when Sarah was pregnant with Ezra and when she was around six months pregnant, the hunger kicked in out of nowhere and I constantly had to keep the fridge stocked." He sighed, his blue eyes distant at the memory.

Aria looked sympathetically at him. Both of his wives had filed for divorce against him; Sarah for his drinking as well as his affair and Jackie because she just didn't want to be with him anymore. She couldn't imagine ever being away from Ezra for more than a couple of days, let alone never wanting to see him again. She knew that Issac still loved Sarah; she could tell by the way that he looked at an old family photo that had been taken when his sons were young and everything was still good in his family. He would never admit it though. He and Sarah said their respectful goodbyes at Mason's funeral and they'd been divorced for twenty years. That ship had sunk a long time ago.

Issac looked at Aria's baby belly and then back up into her eyes, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips, "He or she will be here in just three weeks. Are you excited?"

She gazed down at her stomach, caressing it with her hands, her own smile beginning to form, "Excited as almost as much as I am scared."

He chuckled and shrugged, "That's never seemed to change with you, Aria. You were scared when you were pregnant with Kenzie and Andy." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a CD wrapped with a pink and blue bow, "It's an older CD; _Break the Spell_ by Daughtry but Ezra told me that this was your favorite album in 2011. Think of it as a gift to you and the baby." He handed it to her.

She smiled sweetly at Issac and took the CD, "Thank you, Dad. I really appreciate it." She ran her hand over the cover of the familiar album art, "This is an amazing gift."

He shrugged again, "Don't mention it." He stood from the couch and turned to go to the bathroom. Before he disappeared down the hallway, he called out, "I'd avoid listening to track eight if I were you." With that, he continued his path and shut the door tightly behind him.

Aria tore the ribbon away and flipped the CD over so she can read the track list. Her eyes went to track eight and saw the words _Gone Too Soon. _She struggled to remember what the song what was about, but all she could think of was the song by Michael Jackson. She popped the CD into the stereo and pressed _Play. _She skipped to track eight and began to listen to the gentle acoustic instrument strumming. Then Chris Daughtry's beautiful singing voice poured through the speakers.

_Today could've been the day  
>That you blow out your candles<br>Make a wish as you __close your eyes__  
>Today could've been the day<br>Everybody was laughing'  
>Instead I just sit here and cry<em>

Tears began to well up in her eyes and she didn't bother to wipe them away from her cheeks as they streamed down. The song was about losing a child and unable to see them; imagining what their life would have been like. The lyrics to see this song just screamed _Mason _and Aria was soon sobbing uncontrollably, her face pressed into her pillow.

_Not a day goes by that I don't think of you  
>I'm always asking why this crazy world had to lose<br>Such a ray of light we never knew  
>Gone too soon<em>

She'd actually thought that she could have gone one day without thinking of her baby boy. With the distraction of the new baby, she'd thought that she would actually be able to get over losing Mason. She'd actually thought that and now she felt ashamed, making her cry even harder. Mason was supposed to be six months old by now; he'd probably be giggling and crawling, smiling up at his mother with a smile a lot like his father's.

_Would you have been president?  
>Or a painter, a author or sing like your mother<br>One thing is evident  
>Would've give all I had<br>Would've loved you like no other_

Aria knew that her son in a better place; she hadn't been to church in years but she did believe in God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ. She knew that Mason was in heaven, healthy and safe. He was probably playing football with the angels up in the clouds.

_Who would you be?  
>What would you look like<br>Would you have my smile and her eyes?  
>Today could've been the next day of the rest of your life<em>

She closed her eyes and smiled softly and sadly as her breathing deepened, the song still ringing in her ears. Mason would always be her third child, her second son, and her little baby. There was no doubt in her mind that he was watching over her and the family he never had the chance to meet.

_Not a day goes by that I don't think of you  
>I'm always asking why this crazy world had to lose<br>Such a beautiful life we never knew  
>Gone too soon<br>You were gone too soon_

And that's when she began to dream….

* * *

><p><em>Aria awoke in her and Ezra's meadow, blinking against the warm sunlight. She slowly sat up, finding herself in a flowing white sundress, her baby belly sticking out in front of her. She struggled to stand up, but a small hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up and her gaze was met with warm hazel eyes. She blinked in shock as she recognized them; they were identical to hers.<em>

_The small boy smiled sweetly at her, "Stay still, Mommy."_

Mommy? _Aria thought. Had she heard her that right? _

_The little boy looked awfully familiar, though she could have sworn that she had never seen him before. He had wavy dark brown curls and cute little dimples at the corners of his lips. He seemed to maybe four years old. He wasn't small, but he was lanky; gangly arms and legs that reminded Aria of Ezra and Andrew._

_He sat beside her holding her hand, watching her every move, "You don't recognize me do you?"_

_Aria shook her head in confusion, "I'm sorry, I don't."_

_The small boy nodded, "He said that it was a possibility that you wouldn't. After all, you never really saw me, did you?"He laughed and then continued, "I'm just glad that He finally let me come."_

"_Who is He, little guy?"_

"_Mommy, who else? He is God."_

_Now she was deathly confused. The little boy had just called her Mommy again and now he was talking about God, "I'm sorry, buddy. But who are you."_

_He smiled at her again, all of his baby teeth flashing, "Mommy, it's me! I'm Mason!"_

**This was a very emotional chapter for me to write. I am literally crying. This story had turned me into a wiener, since before I wrote this, I was not an easy crier. But now, that has obviously changed! **

**I'd like to give the inspiration to this chapter to Daughtry's new album **_**Break This Spell. **_**I have been waiting for it since June and I was thrilled when it finally came out. And as soon as I heard "Gone Too Soon" I knew that it'd play a big part of this story. Try to listen to it and not cry! I dare you! **

**I Do Cherish You readers: I will continue after Double Infinity is complete. It is too hard for me to keep up with both. So, please forgive me!**

**I officially do not know when this sequel is going to end. It may not be as soon as I thought it would. I am aiming for 25-30 chapters now. So, just to let you know that it won't be ending anytime soon. **

**Big thanks to my 'unofficial' beta and as I like to call her, my "Yoda." So, a big applause to my Twitter pal, my writing guide, and a fellow spiritual warrior, h8tedit. You rock!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**

**Update on Thursday to come! Have a wonderful two days until I see you again! Love y'all! **


	17. Gone Too Soon Part 2

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 17: Gone Too Soon Part 2**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, Byron and Ella would have found out about Ezria by now and be _somewhat_ cool with the fact that they are a couple. **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_**Previously in Double Infinity **_

_The little boy looked awfully familiar, though she could have sworn that she had never seen him before. He had wavy dark brown curls and cute little dimples at the corners of his lips. He seemed to maybe four years old. He wasn't small, but he was lanky; gangly arms and legs that reminded Aria of Ezra and Andrew._

_He sat beside her holding her hand, watching her every move, "You don't recognize me do you?"_

_Aria shook her head in confusion, "I'm sorry, I don't."_

_The small boy nodded, "He said that it was a possibility that you wouldn't. After all, you never really saw me, did you?" He laughed and then continued, "I'm just glad that He finally let me come."_

_"Who is He, little guy?"_

_"Mommy, who else? He is God."_

_Now she was deathly confused. The little boy had just called her Mommy again and now he was talking about God, "I'm sorry, buddy. But who are you?"_

_He smiled at her again, all of his baby teeth flashing, "Mommy, it's me! I'm Mason!"_

_That was when her mind went blank. This boy couldn't be her son. First of all her son was dead and second of all because he was too old to be Mason. But his voice was so matter-of-fact that Aria believed him. Plus, he looked too much like her and Ezra to for her to even deny that this was her little Mason Carter._

"_You're Mason?" Tears welted up in the corners of her eyes and she reached up to brush the long curly bangs out of the way of Mason's hazel eyes. Her son smiled at her and then held her hand to his cheek as he nodded._

"_I'm Mason, Mommy. And I want you to know that I always am watching over you and Daddy. Even though it may not seem like it, I am always here for you. Like Daddy always says to you," His smile widened and he crawled into her arms to sit on her lap, "forever and always."_

_Aria hesitantly ran her hand through the little boy's wavy hair, kissing the curly locks softly. She heard Mason murmuring, his face pressed into the crape of her neck. He whispered into her skin, "I love you, Mommy. I always have and I always will."_

"_I love you, too, baby."_

_A couple of minutes passed as they just sat in the long grass of the meadow, but it seemed like a millisecond to the reunited mother and son. Mason began to stir and reluctantly pulled away from his mother and stood. She looked at him with sadness clear on her face, "Wait, Mason! Where are you going?"_

_He looked around, his hazel eyes narrowed as he whispered, "I have to go now, Mommy. And you need to wake up. Daddy wants you too."_

"_But-"_

"_Hush. Like I said, I am always here watching over you and our family." He murmured as he hugged his mother and placing a sticky kiss on her cheek before turning and walking away, fading in the growing sunlight that shone in Aria's eyes._

_Mason was gone._

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria stirred beside Ezra in their bedroom, a thin blanket covering her. She blinked against the light that was pouring through the curtains and onto the bed. She glanced up at her husband whose blue eyes were narrowed. He played with one strand of her long brunette hair between his long fingers. When he felt her move, his eyes widened and looked down at her with a small smile pulling at the corners of his soft lips, "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty." His voice was just a quiet murmur and soothing to Aria and she snuggled even closer to him, laying her head on his chest, "Did you have a nice nap?"

She nodded, smiling into his dress shirt, "Mhmm." _Should I tell him about seeing Mason?_

He pressed his lips into her hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her strawberry shampoo, "It was hell trying to carry you in here. You have been packing on the pounds, haven't you? What have you been eating lately?"

She giggled, a light blush staining her cheeks, "Ezra, I'm seven and a half months pregnant with your baby and I have these hormonal cravings that make me want to eat everything edible in sight."

"Oh, I'm just teasing you, sweetheart." He chuckled, kissing her hair again, "So, did you have any good dreams?" Aria hesitated and his smile fell from his sweet face, "Everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be? I am here in Alaska with you, your Dad, our kids, our beagle, and your little sister with our little baby on the way in just less than a month."

Ezra rolled his eyes, facing her with narrowed dark blue eyes, "Aria, I know you too well for this crap." His smile widened on his face once again and he kissed the top of her head, "So, tell your hubby what's wrong."

She picked her head up from her husband's chest and looked at him straight in the eyes as she whispered, "I dreamt of Mason."

The look of shock on Ezra's face was clearly evident and he stared at her with widened eyes, "You dreamt of Mason?" He sounded deathly confused.

"I _dreamt _of our son, Ezra! I felt him. I held him. I actually got to _hold _him!" When he didn't respond, she continued, "He has my eyes and your curls. He is so cute and looks so much like both us."

Ezra began to shake his head, wiping his eyes in what seemed to be fatigue, "Aria, I get it. With the new baby on the way, you're going to start to think about Mason again. So of course you'd dream of him. It's alright, I understand." He reached to kiss her hand, but his wife snatched it away from his reach.

She struggled to get up, but it was too hard with the extra weight that she brought with her, "You think that this was all just a hallucination? Ezra, _I saw our son! _Why is that so hard for you to believe?" Ezra didn't respond again and she finally was able to stand, wrapping her thin blanket around her, "I know this sounds crazy, but please don't think that I am making this all up. You _know _that I would never do that!"

He softly murmured, "I'm sorry, Aria. I shouldn't have said what I did." He sounded very sorry and he extended his arm out to her and his wife immediately crawled into them. Ezra hugged her to his chest, kissing her brunette her, pressing his cheek to the top of her head, "So, will you tell me more? About your dream I mean?"

"Well, I woke up in our meadow and that's when he-" All of a sudden, she felt a searing pain go through her and her body lurched upward. She couldn't even understand Ezra's voice as he frantically spoke to her. She was screaming too loud.

"_Aria….Aria! What's wrong?" _

_Issac must have entered the room because soon she was able to barely make out his much deeper voice, "She must be in labor. The baby isn't due for another three weeks!"_

"_We live for early births, Dad. You know that." There was her husband's voice again. The voice that she thought was sex to her ears. She could hear the smile in it as he continued, struggling to get her into his long, muscular arms, "It's okay, baby. I'm getting you to the hospital. You'll be in that hospital bed before you know it."_

She was able to whisper out in a pain filled jumble with a small weak smile as she fought through the pain of the first contraction, "Call Derek. My water just broke…" She caressed her baby belly and closed her eyes, seeing Mason's young face at the back of her eyelids, "_Mason, I love you." _

**What's going to happen in the next chapter? Will the new baby be okay? Will Ezra see Mason? Most importantly, how will Aria adjust to being a mother again, especially after the travesty that she endured in the first chapters of this sequel? **

**I Do Cherish You readers: I will continue after Double Infinity is complete. It is too hard for me to keep up with both. So, please forgive me!**

**I officially do not know when this sequel is going to end. It may not be as soon as I thought it would. I am aiming for 25-30 chapters now. So, just to let you know that it won't be ending anytime soon. **

**Big thanks to my 'unofficial' beta and as I like to call her, my "Yoda." So, a big applause to my Twitter pal, my writing guide, and a fellow spiritual warrior, h8tedit. You rock!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**

**Update on Saturday to come! Have a wonderful two days until I see you again! Love y'all! **


	18. We're Not Gonna Fall

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 18: We're Not Gonna Fall**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, I'd tweet as many possible fans spoilers so then they aren't left hanging 24/7.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra gazed out at the harbor, rain pouring down on him as he sat on the dock, his legs swinging over the edge. He didn't mind the wetness of it. It felt good on his overly heated body. He actually embraced it with open arms.

He heard another scream tear through the air and he cringed, hunching up his shoulders. Aria had been in too much pain to take to the hospital, so Derek was made to come to the cabin to help with a home birth. And Ezra just didn't have the strength to watch her go through all of that pain, especially after what happened with Mason and waiting those long 48 hours for her to wake up after that risky surgery. He just didn't think that he would be able to handle it.

_Mason. _He smiled softly down into the water washing onto the shore. He and Aria wanted so much for their children. Good education with a few extracurricular activities on the side, such as sports, musicals, and in Kenzie's case, some writing workshops. Then after graduating from high school, they would go off to college; universities like Yale, Stanford, and Harvard to earn masters in English, law, or health care. They wanted their children to have the world within their reach. Kenzie and Andrew were taking advantage of that opportunity already, but Mason would never have the chance to. Hell, he'd never be able to take his first breath of air.

Mason was supposed to be their last child. He hadn't been planned, much like his older siblings, but after a hookup in Ezra's office at Columbia University one day after school hours, Aria discovered that she was pregnant for the third time. They'd both been very surprised when they discovered that he was on the way, but incredibly happy. Then when what happened last September, the world was shattered into a million of pieces for their small family when they found out that they'd lost him.

Ezra sat there for another moment before someone touched his shoulder with a small hand. He guessed that it was Andrew come to fetch him, but he didn't look up, "Hey, buddy. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The voice was familiar yet foreign to Ezra. He thought that he heard it before, but he couldn't put it with a face. He finally looked up and saw familiar eyes; hazel with brown ringlets around the pupils. He was taken aback, goose bumps crawling over his wet skin. He'd know those eyes anywhere. _They were identical to Aria's. _

He shook his head in disbelief, _This can't be happening right now. It has to be a dream. _He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and a few seconds later, he reopened them and looked right back into the same eyes.

The small boy threw him a wide grin, little white teeth flashing at him. He had dark brown hair with a darker tint in the long locks of curls falling over his forehead. He was around the age of four and with a gangly build; long legs and arms that he needed to grow into. There was almost a glowing like quality to the air around him. And when he spoke, his voice was smooth, like the texture of a small pebble.

"Hi, Daddy."

_What did he just call me? This isn't Andrew. He's not my son….is he?, "_Sorry, little buddy. What did you just call me?"

He rolled his hazel eyes and sat beside Ezra, his short legs swinging along with his, the palms of his tiny hands, running over the wood, "This weather is terrible for the day of the birth of you and Aria's child, isn't it?" The little boy looked up at the older man beside him, "I mean, after all, after what happened with me, it may just be a good sign. On September 10th, the sun had been shining and the day was warm. When right now, it's gloomy and cold."

_Aria clicked the last picture of Kenzie in front of the elementary school. Ezra stood up straight, Andrew holding his hand, clinging to his leg, and Snoopy tugging on his leash for a serious game of tug-a-war._

_Kenzie looked up with worry clear on her face at the large school, "I don't know about this."_

_Ezra kneeled beside his daughter, placing her younger brother on the grass, "Kenzie, you're going to do great today." He straightened her pink outfit Aria's friends had bought for her first day, "They are going to love you in there."_

The small boy continued, his drenched curls sticking to the skin of his shiny wet forehead as he gazed out to the line of the Rock Mountains across the harbor, "I bet I would have liked it in New York. Then again, I like where I am now. Heaven is a beautiful place."

_She picked her head up from her husband's chest and looked at him straight in the eyes as she whispered, "I dreamt of Mason."_

_The look of shock on Ezra's face was clearly evident and he stared at her with widened eyes, "You dreamt of Mason?" He sounded deathly confused._

_"I __dreamt __of our son, Ezra! I felt him. I held him. I actually got to __hold __him!" When he didn't respond, she continued, "He has my eyes and your curls. He is so cute and looks so much like both us."_

Ezra finally made the connection. The all too familiar hazel eyes, the wavy curls, and then the talk of September 10th, the day that they'd lost Mason. Then this small boy talking of New York and Heaven. _He had to be. He just had to be…_

"Mason?"

Before Mason could respond, Issac came running down the hill and stopped at the grass before it thinned out to the dock. He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted at his oldest son, "Ezra! It's over. You can come back up now. And you won't believe it until you see it. Come on!" His father sounded excited; too excited for just being a granddaddy again.

Ezra looked over his shoulder opposite of his dead son and yelled back, "I'm on my way!" He switched his blue gaze back over to where Mason sat. But his eyes found nothing but the swaying the trees a quarter mile away.

_His son was gone. Again._

* * *

><p>Ezra took a deep breath before walking into the cabin, his clothes sopping wet. He slipped off his jacket and hung it to a hook on the wall. Kenzie and Andrew sat on the couch with Maggie and Snoopy and he waved at them before heading down the hall to him and Aria's bedroom. He slowly opened the door and poked his head in, "Is it safe for me to come in?"<p>

Aria spoke from the bed, her beautiful hazel eyes meeting his. A tired smile spread across her face as she looked up at him, "Are you ready to meet your sons?"

_Did she just say "Sons"? Like as in plural? _He decided that he heard her wrong and walked further into the room. He stopped in his tracks when he laid eyes on the two sleeping infants in her arms, wrapped up in blue blankets and blue caps covering their fragile heads.

There were _two _infants. Not one. Two. Two little human beings in his wife's arms. _Twins. _

He felt the world spinning as his eyes focused in on his sons, seeing their beautiful pink faces. One of them twitched in their sleep and snuggled his head deeper into Aria's chest. The other just slept soundly in place, softly making noises in his sleep.

Ezra's eyes met Aria's again and they knew that instant that they were thinking the same thing:

_Wow. We were not expecting this_

_._**Twins this time around! What will happen next? Will Ezra and Aria adjust to being parents to now four kids? We'll just have to find out, now won't we?**

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unoffcial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit****. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**I Do Cherish You readers: I will continue after Double Infinity is complete. It is too hard for me to keep up with both. So, please forgive me!**

**I do not know when this sequel is going to end. It may not be as soon as I thought it would. I am aiming for 25-30 chapters now. So, just to let you know that it won't be ending anytime soon. **

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**


	19. Start of Something Good

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 19: Start of Something Good**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, the sneak peek that was released on Saturday would have had something to do with Ezria. **

_There were_ _two __infants. Not one. Two. Two little human beings in his wife's arms. __Twins. _

_He felt the world spinning as his eyes focused in on his sons, seeing their beautiful pink faces. One of them twitched in their sleep and snuggled his head deeper into Aria's chest. The other just slept soundly in place, softly making noises in his sleep._

_Ezra's eyes met Aria's again and they knew that instant that they were thinking the same thing:_

_Wow. We were not expecting this_

Ezra ran his hand through the curly wet mess that was his hair, unable to even word on what he was thinking. He was barely ready for one infant, let alone two, "Aria," His voice was shaky and nervous as he stepped closer to Aria, not breaking eye contact, "do I see two babies or is it just my imagination playing tricks on me?"

Derek stepped into the room as well, his uneven smile blinding in the dim light that the candles that were burning around the room were giving off, "No, Ezra. Congratulations, Daddy. You are now the father two twin boys."

He narrowed his eyes at the doctor with surprise, "How could we have not known that we were expecting twins, Derek? Wouldn't ultrasounds pick up a second heartbeat?"

The older man shrugged innocently, "There is always a slight chance of a pair of twins where one hides behind the other and not discovered until he or she is born. You and Aria were just lucky enough to be in that small percentage." He rubbed his hands together and then on his lab coat, "I better be going. I'll be back later today to check up on you and the boys, Aria. Possibly get the tests done when you're feeling up to it." He gave one more smile to the happy couple before gathering up his things and leaving the bedroom, his footsteps fading down the hallway.

Aria reached over and clasped her husband's hand, pressing it to her lips as she gave it a gentle kiss, "Ezra, it's okay." She averted her warm hazel gaze down to her newborn twins, her face softening with adoration as she watched them sleep, "They are absolutely beautiful."

All of the shock wore away to affection as Ezra sat beside his wife on the bed, taking one of the baby boys into his arms. The newborn stayed asleep, snuggling his face deeper into his chest. He leaned down to press his lips to his son's head, "They are half you. Of course they're beautiful."

"Well, of course." Aria laughed and leaned over to kiss her husband without waking the sleeping infant in her arms. When her lips parted from his, she leaned back onto her pillow, exhausted, "So, about those unisex names we were talking about a couple months ago. Riley and Ashton? Well, both would work for us now."

Ezra was just about to speak when, for the first time, the baby boy lying in his arms opened his eyes, a dark twinkling blue that smoldered back up at him. The infant stretched and yawned as he reclosed his dark blue eyes, settling back into his nap, "Well, this little guy has dark blue eyes. And our deal was that if he has my eyes, we'd name him Ashton Daniel Fitz; Ashton after your favorite actor, Ashton Kutcher, of course." Aria giggled and nodded enthusiastically as her husband continued, "And Daniel after my little brother. He's going to be so smug; like Winnie the Pooh with a jar of honey conceited."

They both watched as their other newborn son opened his eyes for the first time and they were both surprised to find hazel eyes with brown ringlets around the pupil; the little one was blessed with his mother's eyes, just as Mason had been. Aria laughed again, "So, as our agreement holds from two months ago, if he has my eyes, we'd name him Riley Fitz, after your favorite vampire from _The Twilight Saga: Eclipse_." She gazed at Ezra with an amused twinkle in her eyes, "Tell me again why you want to name our child after a blood sucking vampire?"

Ezra chuckled, careful not to wake up sleeping Ashton in his arms, "Because Riley Biers is a badass and the name _Riley _means courageous." He narrowed his eyes, "I think we're forgetting something. What about a middle name, Aria?"

Aria sighed and closed her hazel eyes, "We never decided on one. I mean, after all," She gestured to her newborn sons, reopening her eyes, gazing at her husband with a tired smile, "we were not expecting two babies."

He kissed her hair, savoring the sweet taste of her shampoo, mixed with the scent of sweat, "What do you think the middle name should be?"

She paused for a moment and then a small smirk began to widen into a full-blown smile as she looked deep into Ezra's eyes, "You may think that this is a bad idea, but I think that Riley's middle name should be Mason."

Ezra grinned widely at his wife and he nodded in agreement, "I love it. Our sons now have beautiful names." He tickled Ashton's tiny foot and then pressed a small kiss to his forehead.

Aria laid her on Ezra's shoulder and let out a relaxing breath as they both remain there, watching their two sons sleep. He pressed his lips to her hair and felt her loosen a little bit as she start to fall asleep. He began to softly murmur a song he knew was on _Break the Spell, _the CD that Issac had given the day before. The track was called "{The} Start of Something Good" and he knew that Aria loved it to pieces.

_I know it's gonna take some time  
>but I've got to admit<br>That the thought has crossed my mind  
>This might end up like it should<br>I'm gonna say what i need to say  
>And hope to god that it don't scare you away<br>Don't want to be misunderstood  
>but I'm starting to believe that<br>this could be the start of something good_

Aria smiled softly and whispered under her breath, "I love you Ezra." He pressed his lips into her hair and closing his eyes as well. Before he fell asleep, he murmured,

"_I love you, Aria."_

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_Aria again awoke in the meadow, the hot summer afternoon sun pouring through the leaves of the trees, the humidity immediately hugging the clothes on her body to her clammy skin. Mason sat beside her, holding her hand in his smaller one. He gave her a smile and softly said, "Hi, Mommy."_

"_Hey, little buddy." She sat up and wrapped her arm around her son, hauling him up onto her lap and kissing his dark brown curls, "So, were you with us when Ashton and Riley were born?"_

_He nodded and his smile widened into a full blown grin, "I was at your side the entire time." He looked away and then back to his mother again, "Mommy, are you happy now? Now that you have my little brothers here in the world with you, all healthy and stuff? Do you think you are happy again?"_

_She sighed, not expecting this question from him, "I don't know if my happiness will ever be as it was before I lost you again, Mason." She felt her son shift in her arms and press his young face into her shoulder. She stroke his curly hair, pressing her lips to his head, "But to answer your question directly; yes, Mommy is much happier than she was."_

_Mason laughed, a soft twinkle ringing through the air and Aria ached to hear it again, "And you used my name as Riley's middle one? Wow. Trying to replace me much?"His tone of voice was joking and warm, filled with amusement._

"_No, Mason, you know it wasn't like that." She struggled to come up with a response to her son's statement._

"_Oh sure."He continued to laugh at his mother's demise. _

"_It's not like me and your Daddy could ever replace you, honey. There is only one Mason Carter Fitz in the world and that's you."_

"_Oh, Mommy! Don't use the middle name on me! Please, spare me the humiliation."_

_They both laughed softly and Aria hugged her baby boy closer to her, continuing to softly kiss his hair, "Just doing my job, Mason. Just doing my job."_

* * *

><p>Aria struggled as she fought to stuff the last suitcase into the back of Issac's old Jeep. The kids were already sitting inside it and waiting to head to the airport; luckily, the twins were finally asleep after a long battle to get them fed and changed.<p>

Being the mother of twins was double the challenge of having just one baby. Double the nursing, double the clothes, double the diapers, double _everything. _At least they were easier than Andrew had been; slept amazingly and always had smiles on their beautiful little faces.

Ashton and Riley were blessed with not being bald, like how she had been when she was an infant. They both had a full head of curly brown hair, just like their older siblings had had when they were infants and just barely a month or so old. The only real difference between them were their eyes; blue and hazel, like they decided in the womb who they were going to like; Mommy or Daddy.

Two strong hands came out of nowhere and helped her finally get the back door closed. She looked up into Ezra's eyes and smiled mischievously at him, "I could have handled that myself."

He rolled his twinkling dark blue eyes as he took his wife into his arms, a grin pulling at the corners of his soft lips, "Yeah, it so looked like you were handling it." He finally cracked his famous charming boyish smile before softly kissing Aria.

All of her frustration fell away as her husband's lips met hers. She knotted her fingers into his hair, clinging to his strong body as they leaned against the bumper of the Jeep. Finally, when they parted, she stroked his cheek, "You ready to head back home?"

He sighed and looked around the now familiar land that was Alaska, "It feels like we just got here. Derek was right when he said that we wouldn't want to go back to the city. And I really don't want to. This feels like home now."

She hugged his waist and found it not surprising when she felt Ezra's chin find the top of her head, his arms holding her tightly to his body, "Ezra, New York is where our hearts lie. We never really left them behind. Or anything behind, for that matter."

"How surprised do you think they'll be when we pull up with two more kids? After all, we haven't spoken with the girls in months and you never did tell them that you were pregnant. Then my mother…" He groaned, "When we show up with Dad and Maggie in tow, all hell is going to break loose. Thank goodness that your parents and brother live in Rosewood."

"Like your mom wouldn't call them to ask where we went. You know close our mothers' are."

Ezra sighed again and pulled away from Aria to look deep into her warm hazel eyes, "No matter what our mothers' say though, we did what we had to do to make sure that you and the boys got the best treatment. Sure, they may be upset for a while, but they were upset when we came out of the 'forbidden love' closest eight years ago too." He chuckled, breaking the sweet moment instantly, "Plus, I've missed seeing the Battle of the Uncles. Double the baby, double the fun."

Aria giggled herself, thinking of her little brother and Daniel. Ezra was right. They were both going to be off the wall with excitement. And then the old war would quickly arise to see who could dominate which child's heart; Mike won over Kenzie and Daniel over Andrew. _What's going to happen when they see _two _babies? Baby boys at that!_

Issac came out of the cabin, locking it quickly behind him, "Not to break up this love fest, but my boat leaves at noon. We have to be to Vancouver by sundown to meet the hotel reservations and then catch that plane for New York City at six tomorrow morning. So, let's get moving." He hopped in the Jeep and shut the driver door silently behind him.

Aria and Ezra both chuckled. He looked down at her with narrowed eyes, "You ready?"

She took his hand in hers and kissed it softly, gazed still locked with his, "Let's go."

**A nice fluffy chapter for all of you. Though I must tell you that drama is coming in the next few. Sorry, but I am actually enjoying straying from the romance and the lovey dovey and diving into the real life drama that happens in the world every day.**

**Mason dreams are some of my favorite scenes to write. I just love his love and affection that he has for the family that he never got to meet. Plus, he's a pretty cool kid. Lots of Ezra personality in that boy!**

**Don't Ashton and Riley just seem adorable? I am literally picturing them in my head. Identical twin boys…I wouldn't want to be Ezra and Aria when those two go through their terrible twos and threes! How are Kenzie and Andrew going to handle being older siblings to the newest members of their family?**

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unofficial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**I do not know when this sequel is going to end. It may not be as soon as I thought it would. I am aiming for 25-30 chapters now. So, just to let you know that it won't be ending anytime soon. I may actually extend this to 30-35. I keep getting these great ideas that want me to go even farther.**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**

**It's officially nine months since Chapter 1 of A Romance to Last a Lifetime was posted! So, all of you lovely people, HAPPY ANNIVIERSARY!**


	20. Falling Back to Old Ways

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 20: Falling Back to Old Ways**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, I would make sure that by the end of the series, Ezria would be married and happy. **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria threw a pillow at Ezra's sleeping face, trying to get him to wake up, "Ez, sweetheart, get your ass out of bed. You're going to be late for that meeting with Nick."

Her husband groaned and rolled over, pressing his face into the sheets, "Wake me up in ten."

She climbed on the bed and shook his shoulder, "Come on. Nick Perkins is one of your closest friends and not to mention, the man who has saved your butt these past seven years. He didn't have to meet with you either, but he's taking time out of his busy schedule to have breakfast with you. Get in the shower and get rolling!"

His arm twined tightly around her waist all of a sudden and he flipped them both over to where he was on top her, kissing her neck, "I'm awake, Aria. I just want a morning kiss."

She giggled and stretched up to give him one. She separated her lips too quickly from his and soon the kiss grew very passionate. Only when she felt his eager fingers playing with the hem of her shirt did she separate from him, "Okay." She wiggled underneath him, trying to escape his grasp, "We really have to get you on the road."

Ezra finally got off of her and helped her to her feet, only to pull her into his shirtless chest to give her a warm hug. Aria heard him mumble, "I love you."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. _He just won't give up, will he? _"I love you, too." She kissed him again before pushing him away. He kissed her forehead before heading into the bathroom, shutting the door tightly behind him.

Andrew then showed up in the doorway to the bedroom, a frustrated look on his young face, "Mommy, Ashton is crying again and Riley needs his diaper changed." He put on his best pout that he could, "Why do they have to sleep in my room?"

She sighed. Ever since they moved back to New York, Andy took on the role of the middle child. She felt guilty that she was spending more time with the new babies than with her oldest son, but what was she going to do? The twins were barely a month and a half old and they needed her more than anything at the moment.

And Andrew wasn't enjoying being an older brother as much as he thought he would. He was a momma's boy and being the youngest for five years, he wasn't used to having his mother's attention diverted away from him. He spent most of his time huddled up in his room these days, sketching away. Unless the twins were in there. Then he'd move his project down to the basement, where Issac was putting together a room for his grandson to sleep in.

McKenzie, on the other hand, was practically as big of a help as Ezra. She loved holding her littlest brothers and making them smile and laugh. She couldn't stand not being around them. She was like a mini mommy. And both of her parents loved seeing her so affectionate and loving.

Aria knelt in front of Andrew, brushing the five year old's curly hair out of the way of his smoldering dark blue eyes, "Honey, we've been over this. Grandpa Issac is working on a room in the basement for you. You love it down there anyway! Plus," She smiled sweetly at her oldest son and unsuccessfully didn't get him able to smile back, "we need to be close to Ashton and Riley so then if they need something at night, we can go right across the hall and be there for them right away."

He continued to pout, but slightly nodded in understanding, "When will Papa be done with my new room?"

She kissed his long dark brown locks, "He's just finishing the painting. You'll be moving in there by tomorrow."

He finally cracked a smile, resembling his father greatly, "Great! I can't wait!"

Aria watched him run off down the hall and down the stairs where his almost done bedroom laid. Two strong arms strung around her petite waist and lips met the thin skin of her neck, "He'll get used to them, Aria. He's only five and he's been spoiled since he was an infant. He just has to get used to having the attention on his little brothers instead of him."

She turned and snuggled her face into Ezra's chest, stringing her arms around her husband's neck, smelling the sweet scent of his Axe body wash in her nostrils, "I know." She looked up into his twinkling eyes, not surprised to having them meet her gaze in return, "It's just hard knowing that my child is unhappy and there is nothing that I can say or do that will make him feel better."

He kissed her hand, looking at intently with those big blue eyes of his, "Like I said, he'll grow to love them as much as Kenzie does." He chuckled, "Speaking of which, where is our daughter?"

Suddenly, they heard Kenzie's cooing at the twins coming from across the hall of their bedroom, "Ashton, don't cry little buddy. Mommy will be here in a minute." Then they both laughed when they heard the six year old's calling, "Mommy! Ashton wants you!" There was a pause and then she continued, "And Riley smells funny! Daddy! Riley needs his diaper changed!"

**A nice short filler chapter for all of you. I'm sorry for the lack of updates this week. I've had the flu for about 5 days and not feeling much in the writing mood. There will be a much long update and you will receive the promised drama and get a flashbacked look into what Emily, Spencer, and Hanna's reactions were when Ezra and Aria showed up with Ashton and Riley.**

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unofficial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**I do not know when this sequel is going to end. It may not be as soon as I thought it would. I am aiming for 25-30 chapters now. So, just to let you know that it won't be ending anytime soon. I may actually extend this to 30-35. I keep getting these great ideas that want me to go even farther.**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**


	21. Turning Tables

**Story title: Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 21: Turning Tables**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives? **

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, my life would utterly be complete.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_**Three weeks earlier **_

Ezra and Aria both took a deep breath and after exchanging a glance, they emerged from the gateway of their flight from Vancouver to New York City's J.F.K International Airport, each of them clutching a baby seat containing their sons.

Issac walked beside them, Andrew on his shoulders and his hands being held b Maggie and Kenzie. His facial expression was blank, but Ezra saw nervousness in his dark blue eyes. After all, Sarah, his first ex-wife who was annoyed just by his presence, was at the airport, awaiting her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren's return. Waiting along with her were Hanna and Caleb, Spencer and Toby with Xavier, and Emily and Samara, anxious for their friends' return from Alaska.

Hanna pointed out the family as they made their way through the waiting lobby, "There they are!" The blonde's eyes travelled to the two baby car seats in her friends' hands and they widened to the size of saucers, "What. The. Hell."

As soon as Ezra's gaze met Hanna's, his shoulders drew up in a small shrug, as if to say _We can explain. _

Xavier's eyes locked with Kenzie's and his young face immediately lit up at the sight of his best friend returning to him. He broke away from his mother, who was holding his hand, and the six year old ran toward Kenzie, as she too broke away from her grandfather holding her hand. The two embraced each other, wrapping their small arms around one another.

As soon as Ezra and Aria finally reached the group waiting for them, Aria began to speak, "Please let me explain. I mean let _us _explain. We-"

Sarah held a scary expression on her face; rage battling with disappointment, "Why did you two leave?" Her tone was aching with worry, as any normal mother would be after not seeing her child after ten months, "Where did you even go?" Her dark green eyes flickered to Issac, "And why is _he _here with you?"

Her ex-husband blinked calmly at her, "Hello, Sarah." His voice was smooth and unemotional; he was at least trying to be respectful, "They went up to Juneau to live with me for ten months. They needed somewhere to go and I am always up for more company. After all, I only get so many chances to bond with my son and my grandchildren. Plus, one gets lonely up in the great north." He glanced down at his daughter at his side, clinging to his leg, "Mags, do you remember Sarah?"

The little girl nodded, staring up at the woman with her big blue eyes, her light brown curls falling over her young face. Sarah's gaze softened at the sight of the child, "She's a cute little one." She even cracked a smile at Issac, respecting him for finally changing his own ways and being a father to his daughter, "She looks a lot like you."

"You think so?" Issac returned her smile with a wide grin, "Everyone always says that she looks like Jackie."

"Well, those dark blue eyes can only be yours. I suppose it's in the Fitz genes."

During this whole exchange between his mother and father, Ezra was in the middle of explaining of what happened and why they left, "…..and on Christmas Eve, Aria told me that she was pregnant, Aria told me that she was pregnant again. And after what happened with Mason, we were both terrified. So, we decided to move to Alaska where our old gyno lives. Luckily, Dad here," He gestured to his dad who was still talking to Sarah and they both laughed about something. He watched as his mother reached out and affectionately touched Issac's shoulder lightly with her hand, her shoulders shaking as she giggled. Issac's tone was light and effortless as he spoke and Ezra met his father's eyes. He shrugged and returned to his conversation, much to his son's surprise, "has a cabin up there in Juneau and he offered to let us stay with him until after the babies were born."

Emily's eyes were incredibly wide and she tossed her jet black hair behind her shoulder, "So, what was the whole point of moving there if you were just going to come back to New York?"

Aria piped up, "I trust Derek Phillips. He is almost seventy and one of the best doctors I have ever had. He made sure that both I and the babies were safe-"

Spencer interrupted with a shocked tone to her usually gentle voice, "Babies? Did you just say babies?" Her big eyes switched to the _two _car seats, "Wait, Aria. You had twins?"

Her friend nodded and squatted down to flip back the covers that hid Ashton and Riley's faces. Spencer, Emily, and Hanna's gazes immediately widened at the sight of the infants. The three girls instantly began to ramble:

"Oh my goodness, they are so cute!"

"Look at those curls!"

"They look just like you two."

"Aria, is Ezra really the father? They are just too cute to be his children!"

"Hanna!"

"Just saying!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Present time<strong>_

Ezra nervously drummed his fingers against the granite table, anxiously waiting for his old boss, Nick Perkins, to arrive. Last time that they saw one another, Ezra had quit his job. _Will he even consider letting me come back in September?_

Nick finally entered the outside restaurant's gate and spotted Ezra. He gave the younger man a small wave before making his way to the table. He quickly sat across from his old friend and spoke immediately, "Hey, Fitz. Welcome back." The old man's voice was deep and it cracked in his throat. He also looked like he had lost weight in the past ten months. After all, he was seventy seven. Ezra couldn't expect him to be the perfect image of health.

"Hey, Nicky. How you've been?"

His old boss shrugged and rubbed his temples gently with his fingers, "I've been better."

Ezra nodded in understanding, "Oh. Is there something you want to tell me about?"

Nick sighed and leaned forward, placing his chin on top of his hands, "To be honest with you, Ezra, there is." The older man huffed again, letting out a shaky breath, "I'm retiring from the University."

"Why?"

He ran his hand through his silver hair, "I'm almost eighty, son. I'm slowing down. I need to just retire and live out the rest of the time that I have with Grace before the Good Lord takes me home."

Ezra leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest, "So, who is going to take over the University?"

"That's why I wanted to talk to you, Ezra." Nick looked up into Ezra's eyes for the first time in the entire conversation, "The vice president of Columbia University doesn't want to step up and I don't have anyone in my family to pass it on to. Or anyone that I know who could handle the responsibility." He looked the younger man up and down before his tired gray eyes again found Ezra's, "That just leaves you."

Ezra's heart began to hammer in the cavity of his chest, _Is he going to….?_

Nick continued, "Ezra Fitz, as a close friend of mine as well as a trusted professor, will you step up and take my role of being president at Columbia University?"

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria was finally able to lay Ashton and Riley down for their nap when she heard Snoopy's quiet barking down the hall. She closed the boys' bedroom door silently behind her and headed toward the front door of the house where Ezra was just walking through.

"Hey, Ez." She stroded over to him and pressed a small kiss to her husband's lips, "How was breakfast?"

That's when she finally noticed Ezra's facial expression. The bright smile that she loved to see on his lips so much was spread across his face. His eyes were awestruck and bright with enthusiasm, "It was one of the most life changing meals I have ever had in my life."

"How so?" She helped him with his tie and when she was finally able to loosen the knot, Ezra's hands scooped up and around her waist, picking her up to spin her around in a circle. She giggled as his lips found hers again. The kiss was passionate, drug out and ultimately surprising.

"Ezra, what in the world?" She gasped as he finally put her down and their lips separated, "What has gotten into you?" _If he wants to kiss my like that, I am sure not going to complain._

"He offered it to me, Aria!"

"Who? Who offered what to you?"

Ezra finally took a deep breath and then took her hands in his, caressing them with his long and gentle fingers, his white teeth blinding her, "Nick. Offered. Me. The. Job."

Aria thought for a moment. _What the hell is he talking about?, "_Ezra, what job did he offer you?"

He breathed in deeply and then let the breath out smoothly, "Aria, Nicks retiring. He offered me the job of being the president of the University."

**I bet you guys were not expecting this. That's what I love about writing Double Infinity. Anything can happen and nothing is expected.**

**Drama will be coming, I promise! I am prepping myself for the tears that will come in later chapters. As always, keep the Kleenex and Ben & Jerry's ready to go. Mason will also be returning! I miss that little guy! **

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unofficial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**I do not know when this sequel is going to end. It may not be as soon as I thought it would. I am aiming for 25-30 chapters now. So, just to let you know that it won't be ending anytime soon. I may actually extend this to 30-35. I keep getting these great ideas that want me to go even farther.**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**

**As I write this, there are 250 reviews. That is AH-mazing. It took me MONTHS to earn all of this feedback and now 15-20 reviews come pouring in for EACH chapter. I cannot thank you enough! **


	22. The Life We Have Come to Know

**Story title- Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 22: The Life We Have Come to Know**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New  
>York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives?<strong>

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, there would have been no way that Mike would punch Ezra when they came out of the forbidden love closet. In my own little dream world, which I call "Underneath My Rock", Mike is surprised and somewhat upset but not angry enough for him to hit his future brother-in-law.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria rolled over and groaned at the sound of the alarm clock as it went off. It read 6:00 am. And by what her instinct was telling her, as she has unfortunately come to know, Ezra was already up and gone, as he had to get up an hour earlier to head to Columbia.

She wanted to be happy for him, for placing so high for someone so young and for such a large university. She really did. He was hardly ever home, though. And when he was, he was his home office, working or talking to executives on the Columbia board. He did his best to help with the twins, Kenzie, and Andrew when he had the time, but he was just too busy.

Aria finally willed herself to roll out of her comfortable bed and go across the hall to check on her three month old sons. They were both incredibly healthy and happy. They got tons of attention from their mother, sister, and their three aunts who couldn't seem to get enough time with them.

Then there was Andrew. He spent most of his time in his bedroom in the basement and when he came out, he stayed as far away as possible from his little brothers. His personality had completely changed from the little boy who had been so excited to be an older brother. He hardly even looked at them. At least he was starting kindergarten and Kenzie was starting first grade, so then the house would be quiet until four in the afternoon.

Aria was supposed to return to work at the beginning of September, but she wasn't quite ready to let the twins be in daycare. And she enjoyed their company too much. They clearly inherited their father's bubbly personality: his boyish and charming smile, his adorable laugh, his warm and loving nature that she missed so much. After all, she hardly ever got to see him anymore.

"Good morning, boys." She murmured as she gazed over the edges of Ashton and Riley's cribs, "You ready for a new day? Your big brother's first day of school is today and your daddy promised me that he would be there."

She quickly nursed and changed both of the boys and then went to wake up Andrew. When she knocked on the five year old's bedroom door, he poked his head out, "I'm already up, Mommy."  
>"You excited, kiddo?"<p>

He nodded before narrowing his dark blue eyes, "Daddy's going to be there right?"

Aria hesitated before slowly nodding, "Yes, he will. Daddy never breaks his promises, now does he? Go finish getting ready for school while I wake up your sister."

"Okay, Mom." He gave her one last smile before closing his bedroom door.

Aria thought to herself with a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips, _I have the best kids in the world_ before making her way to her daughter's room.

* * *

><p>"Ezra, I don't know where you are, but you need get here quick. Andrew's class is about to start. Where are you?" Aria halted the voicemail with an angry push to the <em>End <em>button.

Kenzie glanced at her mother and then at Andrew and back again, "Isn't Daddy coming?"

Aria hesitated before softly saying, "I don't know, honey."

Andrew took a deep breath before speaking, his voice strong yet forced as he said to his mother, "Mommy, Daddy can bring me to school tomorrow. It's not that big of a deal."

She knew that Andy was heartbroken just by looking at him. His young five year old face was blank and careful, but much like his absent father, his eyes told her exactly what she wanted; he was upset, angry, and downright devastated. He didn't want his mom and sister to see that, so he just took a deep break as he continued, "Mommy, Kenzie can show me the way. I don't need Daddy to be here."

Kenzie reached over to take her little brother's hand, enclosing it in hers, "Mommy, I'll make sure Andy makes it to kindergarten."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait?" She knelt down in front of her oldest son, "Maybe the teacher would-"

The five year old shook his head, "I can do it on my own." He stretched up to kiss Aria's cheek, "See you later."

Aria ruffled his curly dark brown hair, "Have a wonderful day. Stay out of trouble." She averted her eyes over to her daughter, playing with her braids, "Take care of your little brother, okay?" Kenzie nodded before quickly hugging her mother and running off with Andrew. Before they entered the school, she blew a kiss in their direction. Her two children waved one last time before going in the building.

Aria sat on the grass for a moment, clasping her phone. Ezra was going to hear about this for a very long time. She dialed Issac's number, since he was watching the twins. He was obviously too busy to answer, she left a voice-mail wondering if he could watch the twins a bit longer.

After ending that desperate call, she began another. It was a number that Ezra gave her for his office. A woman's voice answered it, much to his surprise, _"You are speaking with Star Maple. How may I help you?"_

"Hi, Star." She remembered Ezra saying something about the vice president of the university. How she, for her own personal reasons, turned down the opportunity to take the role of being president of Columbia. Ezra said that she didn't want to take the role because she was busy enough already and didn't want an even more hectic schedule, "My name is Aria Fitz and I was trying to reach my husband."

Star grumbled on the other end of the phone call, _"That man is going to be the death of me. My goodness. God help him when I find him."_ Aria heard the other woman sigh before she continued, "_Sorry, Aria. He must have given you my office number by mistake. I'm not surprised. His handwriting sucks."_

Aria couldn't help but laugh a bit at that comment, because she knew that it was true, "I'm sorry for bothering you." She sighed, "Could you please just tell him that I called?"

Star responded, _"Ezra needs to learn that I'm not his messenger."_ She paused before continuing, _"I'll pass it on to him that he's screwed up, as men always seem to do."_

She sighed in relief and was finally able take in a reassuring breath, "Thank you, Star."

"_You're very welcome, Aria. God Bless."_

****PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL****

There was a knock on Ezra's office door and he glanced up to see the vice president of Columbia standing at the doorway. The woman looked at him from under her curls of her unusual natural Afro, over the rims of her square framed glasses. Her tan skin gleamed at him in the faded sunlight that poured through the windows. She carried a small folder in her hands, a cross necklace around her neck.

Ezra quickly capped his pen, turning his attention to Star, who was still staring at him with that look that made him feel very small, "May I help you, Star?"

She shrugged, "I'm not your secretary. Tell your wife to call Ruby next time she wants to speak with you. Or just to call you on your cell. I have better things to do than take messages for you, Ezra."

Ezra quickly glanced at his watch and groaned. He'd missed dropping Andrew off on his first day of school, when he had promised that he was going to be there. Aria would be there any moment to yell at him, he was sure. He rubbed his eyes, "Crap."

"Crap is right, dork. You gave Aria the wrong number. Now you are really in the dog house." Star stepped further into the room, tossing the folder on his desk, "That's from the board. New files to be looked at for changes next semester. Apparently, our number of students has lowered for three different majors by seventeen percent. We are debating whether to lower tuition cost or not."

"I'll get right on it."

The vice president glanced at Ezra's phone sitting on his desk and sighed, running her hand through her frilly hair, "Maybe you should call Mrs. Fitz first. She sounded pretty peeved off on the phone."

Ezra sighed himself, "Why the need? She'll be here any moment to chew my ass out."

"Should I lock the door on my way out and give you a watch dog? Or do you want me to hold your hand and tell that everything is going to be okay?"

"Get out of here, Star. I can handle this on my own."

"Are you sure, honey bun?" Star laughed quietly to herself and then turned back toward the door, "Get those files read and get your wife some flowers. Maybe chocolate. Hey, you make enough money now to get her diamond necklace. Better go for all three since you are seriously in trouble."

"Goodbye."

"Glad I could help!" Star called out as she left the office, still laughing to herself.

Ezra was just about to call Aria when she came storming into his office, shutting the door tightly behind her, locking it. Her hazel eyes were furious and they bore into his like daggers. If looks could kill, he'd be in a casket by now.

"Aria, please try to understand-"

Her voice was chillingly soft and Ezra suddenly wished that she would just scream at him as she murmured, "You said that you were going to see your oldest son off to his first day kindergarten. That you would make time for that to happen. But did you? No."

"Aria, please. I-"

Her voice rose as she tearfully said, "I don't want to hear it, Ezra! And don't apologize to me! Go say your apologies to your five year old son who was promised that his father would be there to watch him enter a school for the first time. He was heartbroken!"

"Do you think I wanted to miss it? I know I promised that I would be there, but, Ar! I am the president of a university now." Ezra instantly knew that this was the wrong thing to say because Aria's glare at him only intensified.

"And you told me when you got the job that you would make sure that your family would always come before your career. Ezra, we never get to see you anymore! You are up before dawn and not back until late at night! I'm surprised our children even recognize you." She laughed darkly, throwing her hand up in the air aimlessly, "Hell, you didn't even get me the right phone number to reach you!"

He stood up from his chair and walked in front of his desk, looking down at his wife, regret brimming in the blue depths of his eyes, "I'm sorry. I really wanted to be there for Andrew. I just got tied up with stuff."

She backed away from him shaking her head with her hands moving as well, "I have to get going. Ashton and Riley are waiting for me and I promised your dad I'd be there." She wiped a tear from her left eye as she continued shakily, "Unlike you, I actually keep my promises."

His heart shattered hearing her say that, "Aria-"

"I'll see you at home later." She choked out as she unlocked the door, swung it open and hurried out of the office as almost as quickly as she had come. Ezra stared after her, his hands still his pockets playing with his kids _Wow, I have really screwed up_.

Star popped her head in the office again, a frown on her lips, "Well that went well."

Ezra rolled his blue eyes, "Star, you are not helping right now."

The vice president shot him a small smile, "So, when are you ordering the flowers, chocolate, and necklace?"

**Uh oh, Ezra. You are definitely in the dog house now. Better take Star's advice and start kissing some serious butt to get out of it. Speaking of the VP of Columbia, how did you like her? The person I developed her from has seriously been one of the main contributors to this story. So, she deserved to be a part of it.**

**I just wanted to apologize to you guys for being so late for the updates. I don't have any excuse, really. I had plans to update Friday, but that fell through. I planned to update yesterday morning, but I ended up being off the computer all day. Then last night, I wanted to update, but because of Christmas, I had to go to a family party. So this next week, I plan to be updating three chapters. Possibly a special one just for Christmas. **

**Y'all will be happy to know that I am planning to end this fanfic at about 33-35 chapters, plus a two part epilogue, which I am already outlining. And I will make sure that we end on a good note. **

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unofficial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**


	23. Words Needed to Be Said

**Story title- Ezra and Aria: Double infinity**

**Chapter 23: Words Needed to Be Said**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives?**

**Disclaimer: I think after all this time, you guys have realized that I do not own PLL. A lot of people who are better than me do.  
><strong>

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria inserted the key into the doorknob and opened the door, poking her head in and quietly calling out, "Dad? I'm home."

Issac came walking toward her from the direction of the living room, a sleeping Ashton snuggled up in his chest, "Hey, Ar." The grandfather glanced down at the three month old baby boy asleep in his arms, "Ashton, Mommy's home."

She took her son affectionately from Issac, kissing the infant's soft hair, "Hey, little buddy." She looked up at her father-in-law with a grin, "Thanks for watching them for me."

"Thank me? I should be thanking you for letting me watch them. Because the pleasure was all mine." Issac returned Aria's grin with his own signature dopey one-sided smirk, his teeth flashing. He tickled Ashton's bare foot gently with his finger, his blue gaze softening at the sight of his sleeping grandson, "Riley is asleep in their room and I just changed this little fella's diaper. They should be good for a while."

Aria played with Ashton's tiny hands and fingers and watched as he squirmed closer to his mother's body, "You are really good with him. All of the kids love you. You definitely win Grandpa of the Year."

Issac rolled his eyes, "Ship me my trophy and check by this weekend."

"It would be my honor." Aria giggled as she patted his shoulder with her free hand and made her way into the living room, plopping down on the leather sofa, careful not to wake the sleeping baby in her arms, "I'm just glad to be home. Being away from these two for too long makes me nervous."

Her father-in-law followed her, leaning against the wall as his blue eyes narrowed and locked with hers, "Did Ezra make it to the school in time?"

She sighed as she shook her head in defeat, "No, he didn't."

Anger flared in Issac's eyes, much to Aria's surprise, "What is wrong with that son of mine? Here he has a beautiful wife, four great children, and an amazing dog, and he's just throwing it all away for this stupid job at Columbia."

"Issac, I-"

He wouldn't let her interrupt him, "He has to learn that these jobs will come and go, but if he loses you and the kids, those are the things that he'll never be able to get back. Trust me, Aria. I know." Raw pain was in his voice and she instantly knew that he was referring to putting his own selfish desires before his priorities for his family all those years ago.

Issac grabbed his jacket and slipped it over his shoulders and back as he continued his rant, trying to control his voice in effort not to wake his sleeping grandson in Aria's arms, "I'm going to go and talk to him"

"Issa-I mean, Dad! I don't want him to get mad at you, too. He's already upset with me."

He gave her a determined glanced with a small, sly grin on his face, "Aria, I'm the idiot's father. We've fought more times than I can count. I've learned how to get through that thick head of his, though. If anyone can get through to the Ezra we know and love, it's me." He called out as he headed to the front door, "Believe me. I'll drill some real sense into him."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

"Aria, please pick up the phone." Ezra pleaded into the receiver, leaving the third message on his wife's cell phone, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to miss Andrew's big day, but I'll make it up to him. I promise. Please just call me back." He ended the call and tossed his cell onto his desk, rubbing his temples in frustration.

Star hastily entered his office, stopping right in front of his desk, "Um, Ezra, sorry to disturb your wallowing, but there is an angry little man wanting to see you." She then rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, "I don't know why I am giving you this message. What are you paying Ruby for? To sit on her lazy butt all day and play Pinball on her phone? If I were you, Fitzy, I would vouch for a new secretary."

Issac rushed into the office at that moment, his blue eyes immediately falling on his son, "Ezra, we need to-"He hadn't noticed that Star was in the room, "I'm sorry, Miss, but I need to speak with my son. Alone."

The vice president nodded in understanding, backing out of the office, "Daddy Fitz is in the house. Star is now leaving…" She winked teasingly at Ezra before closing the door behind her.

Issac looked after her, a confused expression clear on his face, "And that quirky woman was…?"

Ezra shrugged, "That's Star. She's the VP here at the university."

"Oh. She seems nice."

He stood up from behind his desk and went to confront his father, "Dad, if you're here to lecture me, too, I-"

"No. I'm not here to lecture you, kid. I'm here to give you some words of wisdom. Some advice; father to son, man to man. Alright?"

Ezra sighed, "Alright. Shoot."

Issac looked at him straight in the face, "Why weren't you at the school this morning?"

"I got tied up with-"

"Wrong." His father interrupted, "Ezra, when it comes to your family, _nothing _comes before it. Nothing, do you hear me?"

He ran his hand through his curly hair with a strong sigh, "I know, Dad."

"Don't say that. Don't say those words to me. Because you don't know! Aria wants you to be happy with your dream job, Ezra, but she's too scared to tell you is that this position at the university is destroying your family, one bit at a time. You have a wife, four kids, and a young dog to take care of and you are putting this career before them. I came here to tell you that you are making the wrong choice."

"Like you did, Dad?" Ezra's face was now just inches from his fathers, anger and frustration in all of his features, "I think it's a little hypocritical that you came to lecture me on my marriage when you couldn't even make yours' last. I mean, you've been married and divorced twice." He laughed darkly, "At least I know how to control myself around other women and alcohol. At least I know how to be faithful to my wife!"

"Don't you dare turn this back on me, son!" Issac's blue eyes darkened even more, "I don't want you to miss out like I did! I miss out on raising you and your brother. I missed your graduations from high school and college." He laughed shakily as he lowered his voice, his tone softening, "Hell, I missed out on loving a great woman like your mother. God, she's amazing. I didn't realize until it was too late to take her back how much I loved her." He blinked in revelation, narrowing his eyes, "Or how much I _love _her."

Ezra's anger fell away as he watched Issac collapse unto one of the chairs sitting in front of his desk. He sat in the one beside him, "I'm sorry, Dad. I shouldn't have said that."

"Well, I never was the best role model for you and Daniel." He chuckled nervously, "I always hoped that you would learn from my mistakes, but there are only so many things you learn on your own."

"I know I'm screwing up, Dad. I am screwing up big time. But, you know what my motivation to have this job is? It's to give my children all possible opportunities in their grasp. I want to be able to send them to college. I want to be able to take Aria on a second honeymoon to the Caribbean, or to Hawaii, or wherever she wants to go. I want to be able to give Kenzie a lavish wedding when her time comes to be married to the man who doesn't deserve her. I want to be able to look all of them in the eye and say that I gave all that I had for them."

Issac sighed, "Ezra, all of that is wonderful and I'm glad you're doing everything in your power to give your family a decent future, but, son, you have to focus _right now. _How about when they ask where you were for all of the soccer games and award ceremonies that you missed? Do you really want your little McKenzie to one day ask you, "Daddy, where were you when I needed you for the father-daughter cotillion?" Or one of your sons asking you where you when he needed advice on how to impress a girl? Maybe Aria asking you where you were when your thirtieth wedding anniversary rolls along? Were you working? Were you at a bar, flirting with the female bartender? Or were you just avoiding her? Imagine all of this, Ez!"

Ezra fell back further into his chair, rubbing his eyes with his fingers, "You're right. God, what have I done?"

He rubbed his son's shoulder as if to comfort him, "This is the hard choice you have to make. Your family or your career? And you know by watching me that I made the choice. I put being an attorney before you, your mother, and Daniel. I screwed up big time. I just don't want to watch you make the same stupid decision that I did."

"How do I fix it, Dad?"

His father for a moment, "Nick Perkins gave you this opportunity for a reason, kiddo. I bet he knew that if anyone could handle it, it'd be you. There is still time to fix what you've done wrong."

Ezra glanced over at his father with a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips, "You think so?"

The older man nodded, "I_ know so. _You're a good guy, son. You've just made a couple idiotic choices these past two months."

Ezra chuckled and then narrowed his dark blue eyes, "A few minutes ago, when you were talking about Mom, did you mean it? Do you really still love her?"

Issac hesitated, "I thought you would have missed that. But you have the ear for detail, don't you?" He slowly nodded with a shrug, "Sarah-your mother-is the only woman I have ever truly felt was _the one._"

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_Aria must have fallen asleep because she opened her eyes to find herself in her and Ezra's meadow back in Rosewood. She sat up, stretching and looking around. Of course, right at the edge of the woods was Mason, his dark brown curls falling over his hazel eyes. He waved at his mother and jogged over to her, "Hi, Mommy!"_

_She caught her son in her arms to enclose him in a warm and affectionate hug, "Hey, sport." She kissed his curly waves of brown hair, "Where have you been? I've wanted to see you for over a week."_

_Mason shrugged with a teasing smile on his lips, "Here and there. Hopping from one cloud to another. Every time I have tried to visit, you'd wake up. It's very frustrating." _

"_Well, I'm sorry, kiddo."_

"_You don't need to apologize for anything, Mom. It's not your fault. After all, Dad is the usually one who wakes you up anyway. So, let's just blame him." He looked sweetly at his mother, "So, how does Daddy like his new job? From what I see, he seems to like it."_

_Aria sighed and hugged Mason closer to her, leaning her cheek against the top of his head, "He likes it. Or at least from what I comprehend he does. He's hardly ever home, after all."_

_Her son blinked sympathetically at he, "I'm sure he is just getting used to the hours and the stress and the responsibility. I mean, the position was as much as surprise for him as it was for him. He's only thirty four and here he has a lot of weight on his shoulders; he has you, my siblings, old goofy Snoopy, and a job that requires a lot of time and hard work." He laughed quietly, "You have every right to be mad at him, though. He has no real excuse to miss Andy's first day of school." He thought for a moment before continuing, "Grandpa Issac just gave him a good talking to, too. He has lot of good advice to take in now. He'll be home with suck up gifts before you know it."_

_Aria giggled and hugged him again, kissing his soft hair, "Maybe you're right."_

"_I'm a Fitz. It's my specialty." Mason smiled at his mother one last time before hopping of her lap and getting to his sandaled feet, "Someone is at the front door wanting to speak with you. I better let you go."_

"_Alright, Mason. I love you."_

_He bent down and kissed her cheek, "I love you, too, Mommy."_

* * *

><p>Aria's eyes shot open as soon as she heard the knock on the door. She sat up on the couch, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She glanced at the time on her cell phone. It was only one in the afternoon. She had another couple of hours before the kids would be getting off the bus.<p>

She fixed her hair in the mirror close to the front door before opening it. Her eyes met a brown gaze hidden by curls of a natural afro. The woman smiled sweetly at her, "Hi. You must be Aria. We've never officially met. I'm Star Maple."

Aria shook the vice president's hand and led her inside, "Well, welcome to my home. What can I do for you?"

Star reached into her bag that hung from her shoulder and pulled out two large folders, handing them to her boss's wife, "Those are for your husband. He left before the board meeting today. I don't know where he went but he wasn't in his office when I checked in with him a little bit ago. So, I assume he left with his dad." She glanced around with a small smile, "You have a beautiful home. I don't know why Ez spends so much time in that smelly old office of his when he has this amazing place to live in."

"Make yourself at home. Do you want anything to drink or to eat?"

"No, I'm fine. I just ate lunch. But thank you anyways."

A shrill cry came from down the hall and Star jumped at the sound. Aria laughed, "That's just one of the boys. Probably Riley. He must be ready to get up."

Star nodded in understanding, "Ezra did say he had kids, now that you mention it. Three sons and a daughter? He brags about them all the time." She whistled, "That poor little girl of yours. Three little brothers."

Aria shrugged as she made her way down the hallway, calling out, "Well, me and Ezra like to think that the more boys she has around, the more protection she'll have from the cruel mind that some men seem to have."

"That is a good point."

Aria walked back out into the living room with Riley wide awake in her arms, a pacifier in his mouth. He sucked it quietly as he gazed at Star with wide hazel eyes, "This is Riley, Star. Riley, this is Star. She's our friend." She looked up at Star with a small smile, "Would you like to hold him?"

"I don't know. I'm not usually that good with infants. Every time I try to hold one, they end up crying. "

"My kids are pretty calm. They only cry when they need their diaper changed or when they're hungry."

"So, they are a lot like Ezra, then?" Star laughed before sitting down on the sofa awkwardly, "I guess I could hold Riley. He does look pretty cute and pleasant."

Aria nodded and gently placed her son into her new friend's arms. Riley looked at his mother and then at Star. He tipped his head to the side, gazing at the woman for a moment with a warm twinkle in his hazel eyes before finally cracking a smile around his pacifier. Star smiled down at the infant, tickling his foot, "Hey, kiddo. You are too cute and quiet to be Ezra's son. He never shuts up."

Aria laughed and went to the swing in the corner where Ashton was laying. She rewound the handle to get it going again. The three month old laughed playfully, kicking his feet back and forth, "So, how do you like dealing with my husband on campus as your boss?"

Star rolled her brown eyes in exasperation, "Well, having someone younger than me telling me what to do gets on my nerves. Then when he needs me to do his work for him that ticks me off even more. He needs to get an assistant or something. I already suggested my niece, but he said that he can handle it on his own."

Aria plopped down on the sofa next to Star, tickling Riley's foot, "What does your niece do?"

"Well, she's into music stuff, but I told her that I'd be able to hook her up with a good paying job at the university. I suggested her to be an assistant so then she could get a feel of campus." Star glanced over at her with a smirk, "You went you school with her in Rosewood. From what she tells me, she dated your friend Emily for a short time?"

"Wait, you're Maya's aunt?"

"I'm her mother's older sister. Maya actually came to live with me here in New York for a short while before heading off to Berkley. Though I don't completely agree with her lifestyle choices, she is my niece. She is my family and I love her like she's my own child." Star smiled softly down at Riley, "Family counts. Or at least it should."

Aria nodded, "Maya is a good person. I enjoyed her company when she went to Rosewood. I was always wondering when she would come back from True North, but Emily told me she went to another school after a couple of months." She sighed and then continued, "So, you don't have a family?"

"No. I've always wanted a child for myself, but then I remember that they cry, they never sleep, and they poop more than anything. So, I prefer to just borrow a baby from their parents a little while, get them laughing, and then hand them back when they start crying."

"That's real funny because my friend Hanna says the same thing." They shared a short laugh.

One thirty rolled around and that was when Star announced that she had to leave. She reluctantly handed Riley back to Aria and slipped her jacket back onto her shoulders, "Thank you for letting me stay." She shot Aria a smile, "I think this is the start a wonderful friendship."

"I agree." Aria led Star to the front door, "I'll make sure Ezra gets those files."

"Thank you. And feel free to be mad at that moron. He's a guy. He's gonna screw up every once in a while." She gave one last smile at Aria, "Thank you again." She tickled Riley's foot one last time before slipping her bag over her shoulder and heading out to the driveway.

Just when Aria was about to close the door, Ezra came pushing through it. He shut it himself and slipped off his jacket, hanging it on the coat rack, "What was Star doing here?"

Aria shrugged as she walked into the kitchen, her husband slowly following her, "She dropped off some files that need to be read since you missed the board meeting today." She looked at Ezra straight in the eyes and asked him, "What are you doing home so early?"

He took a deep breath and meet her gaze after glancing down at Riley in his wife's arms, "I came home early so then I can make things right."

"What do you mean 'make things right'?"

"Aria, we need to talk before the kids get home. Just the two of us. We need to sort things out before things get even more screwed up."

**Do you think that these two can work things out by the next chapter? Do you think Issac's words of wisdom stuck with him? How about Star and Aria's growing friendship? All of these things you guys need to be addressing so then I know what you like so far and what you are disliking!**

**How about Issac's revelation about his feelings for Sarah? Sort of a secondary storyline that I would love to work with in the future. There is a lot of potential in it and I am so looking forward to writing more about it. **

**Y'all will be happy to know that I am planning to end this fanfic at about 33-35 chapters, plus a two part epilogue, which I am already outlining. And I will make sure that we end on a good note. **

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unofficial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**


	24. I Never Thought It Was Possible

**Story Title- Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 24: I Never Thought It Was Possible**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives?**

**Disclaimer: I think after all this time, you guys have realized that I do not own PLL. A lot of people who are better than me do.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_Just when Aria was about to close the door, Ezra came pushing through it. He shut it himself and slipped off his jacket, hanging it on the coat rack, "What was Star doing here?"_

_Aria shrugged as she walked into the kitchen, her husband slowly following her, "She dropped off some files that need to be read since you missed the board meeting today." She looked at Ezra straight in the eyes and asked him, "What are you doing home so early?"_

_He took a deep breath and met her gaze after glancing down at Riley in his wife's arms, "I came home early so then I can make things right."_

_"What do you mean 'make things right'?"_

_"Aria, we need to talk before the kids get home. Just the two of us. We need to sort things out before things get even more screwed up."_

Aria rolled her eyes and headed into the kitchen to fix a bottle for Riley, "Ezra, I told you earlier today that I just want you home more. It's not like our lives are completely fallen apart."

Ezra watched her wide blue eyes as she made her way around the room, gathering all she needed to make food for the three month old in her arms, "Aria, my dad came to my office and talked to me about where my priorities should be. He put it all in perspective for me." He took a deep breath before continuing, "I never really saw my dad before the divorce. He was always at work at his law firm while Mom and Nanna raised us. After the divorce, I saw him even less and when I did…well, you know what happened. I never thought about how he must have felt when Mom decided to end their message. I mean, most of it was his fault, mind you, but I think he was honestly trying to earn a better future for Danny and me."

Aria set Riley into the other swing, balancing the bottle with a couple of blankets as the infant drank the warm milk, his hazel eyes becoming dreary, "What is the point of all this story telling, Ezra? I don't have all day."

He stepped in front of her and took her hands, gazing deep into her eyes, his face all serious, "He told me that he regretted working so hard. I know he loves Maggie and he would never regret marrying Jackie and the being the little gal's father, but he wishes that he never left Sarah. That he never cheated on her and turned to drinking to drown his frustration and pain. He told me that he wished that he'd been able to see that he destroyed his family when he was only trying to earn more money for his wife and children." He swiped a lock of hair behind Aria's ear and stroked her cheek gently with his thumb, "I don't want all of that to happen to us. To our family. My dad is screwed up. He wants my mom back, but he knows it was over between them a long time ago. Ar, do you think that I want to be at work more than I want to be here with you? _I love you. _I would never try to hurt you or the kids on purpose." He gestured to his sleeping sons in the swings, his face softening at the sight of them, "Everything I do is for you and for them. I just want the world in our fingertips."

Aria's frustration fell away and she wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling his lips in her hair, "I've missed you, Ezra."

He chuckled against her, his long arms entwining around her upped back, pressing her closer to his larger body, "You have no idea how nervous I was coming in here. I wasn't sure what I was walking into."

"So, Issac talked some sense into you, eh? He said he'd be able to."

Ezra pulled away from his wife to softly press his lips to her forehead, "He is my dad. Only you know me more than he does. He's a good guy that's had a hard time getting to this point in his life."

Aria nodded, brushing a lock of Ezra's curly bangs out of the way of his smoldering dark blue eyes, "He is a great grandfather. I'm so proud of him. He is definitely not the guy he was when I first met him."

"Well, I think after having a little girl under his single parent care, he realized that he needed to change for her."

She stretched up and kissed her husband for the first time in God knows how long. They remained like that for a moment before her cell phone rang. Ezra moaned against her mouth, "Ignore it." He kissed her even harder, his fingers digging into her waist hungrily, keeping her in the kiss.

"Ezra…it…may…..be…..important." She gasped against his embrace. She loved kissing him, but she needed to answer the call. It may be about one of her kids. _God, please don't let Andrew have snuck away to find something to draw._

She glanced at the screen while her husband nipped away at her neck, his fingers playing with the waistline of her jeans. It was the hospital. Her heart leapt out of her chest and she quickly answered it, "Hello. This is Aria Fitz. What's wrong?"

"Mrs. Fitz, its Dr. Solomon. I know we haven't spoken for a long while and I'm not a pediatrician. But something has happened. It's Andrew. At school today, he had an asthma attack. They just brought him in."

Aria began to hyperventilate and Ezra stopped in his tracks of trying to get his wife naked and took the phone from her, his voice breathless, "Who is this?" He didn't know that Aria already ended the call, "Aria, what's wrong?"

She had tears in her eyes as she gathered the twins' things to head to the hospital, "It's Andrew, Ezra. He had an asthma attack."

He grabbed her by the shoulders, making her face him, "He doesn't have asthma, though!"

"Well, apparently he does! Come on! Grab one of the boys. We need to leave. _Now."_

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra paced outside of the hospital room, rubbing his eyes as he waited for the cue to go into the room. Aria was already in there with Andrew. Kenzie was in the waiting room with Issac, Sarah, and the twins. Everything was hectic and he didn't know what to think. Hell, he didn't even know any of the information, just that his five year old son was in the hospital and it was probably all of his fault.

Meanwhile, Kenzie played with Maggie with the toys provided by the hospital. Issac watched them cautiously, not wanting his daughter or granddaughter to put anything in their mouths and end up getting sick. Sarah was drumming her fingers against the arm of the chair she sat in, "What the hell is taking so long?"

Issac rolled his blue eyes and glanced over at his ex-wife with a teasing smile, "Did you have plans today?"

"Is that so much your business, Issac?"

He shrugged and his grin widened as he crossed his arms across his chest, leaning back in his chair, "Well, I suppose not. I'm just making conversation. We may be here a while, after all."

She narrowed her green eyes at him, "Can't we just sit in silence then?"

"Fine with me."

Kenzie glanced up at her grandparents with a frown on her lips, "Why do you guys have to fight all the time? Your Grandpa and Grandma. You should be getting along."

Maggie nodded in agreement, "Yeah!"

Sarah smiled down at the two little girls, "I'm sorry. We should be nicer to each other. For the kids' sakes at least" She looked at Issac with a mischievous smirk, "Truce?"

Her ex-husband nodded in agreement and took her hand, pressing it to his lips without even thinking, "Truce." His eyes widened at what he just did and they both snatched their hands away, their cheeks staining scarlet, "Uh…um. S-sorry, Sarah."

She sighed and smiled sweetly at him, "No, don't be. It's alright." It was true, though. She didn't mind the gesture. It actually felt nice. It felt like everything it was back when they were still married. Or when they were still teenagers, just going by what their hearts told them, not knowing that their futures together would never be right like how they had wanted. Somewhere in those moments, she felt _the spark. _The spark that she had felt all those years ago as a seventeen year old.

Just a few yards away, the hospital room door finally opened and Aria popped her head out, looking at her nervous husband with a sad smile, "The coast is clear. You can come in now. He wants to talk to you alone."

Ezra nodded, stepping past his wife, pressing a soft kiss to her soft brunette hair as he made his way into the room. There, in a hospital room with his curly dark brown hair falling over his blue eyes, was Andrew. A small IV was connected to his wrist and there a trace of anger on his young face. His father sat in the chair beside the bed and looked at him, "Hey-"

"No, Dad. I want to talk first."

His heart fell at the word 'Dad'. Andrew only ever called him that when he was upset and right now, he looked like an angry little boy, "Oaky dokey."

Andrew sighed, his small shoulders loosening as he began to speak in a hushed tone, "Today, at school, I waited for you for almost a half an hour. I knew that you would _never _break your promise to me. Mommy said that you wouldn't, but I knew before she did that you weren't going to come. Dad, _you promised me _that you'd be there! Do you know how much I was looking forward to that? Just me and my dad, who I think is the best father ever, by the way, walking into the school for the first time. I look at you as a role model." Andrew raised his eyes to meet his father's guilt filled gaze, "And today, for the first time in my life, I wished that you weren't my father."

Ezra felt his son's word cut into him like a jagged rusty knife into his stomach, restraining him from moving, "I-"

"I'm not done!" His son interrupted his apology, "I got so sad that everything felt airless. I couldn't breathe. I guess I fell asleep and then I ended up in here." He took a deep breath before continuing, "When I was sleeping, I went to this one place. I think it was in Rosewood, but I'm not sure. I was in a field surrounded by flowers and trees and I saw a boy. He looked a lot like me and Kenzie. He had Mommy and Riley's eyes. He said that his name was Mason and he was my brother."

"Mason came to you in a dream?"

**Cliffhanger! I know some of you are going to hate me for this, but I could not resist!**

**So about the lack of updates. Excuse #1: I was being lazy all week. Excuse #2: Christmas I stressful. Excuse #3: Really lazy, just saying. Excuse #4: Had to do some extra things I didn't plan on doing (Ex. Hanging with my friend for the first time in ages) Excuse #5: I was just being a lazy bum that was wrapped up in her Snuggie all frigging week, sleeping in and staying up late. So, I hope I can update for this next week! **

**Next chapter will be really setting Andrew's new view on Mason as well as his little brothers. Then Issac and Sarah will be getting closer (Issac will be making a real effort to take her on a date, with a push from Ezra as well as Daniel, who is coming back from the Lost Vortex). Then Maya makes an appearance with her quirky aunt, who you guys seem to love! Star is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself (And the person I based this character on must ne blushing right now. Love you, girly!)**

**Y'all will be happy to know that I am planning to end this fanfic at about 33-35 chapters, plus a two part epilogue, which I am already outlining. And I will make sure that we end on a good note. **

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unofficial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**


	25. Normal, or Whatever That is For Us

**Story Title- Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 25: Normal, or Whatever That is For Us**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, I would have realized a long time ago that during the past nine months, I have been spelling Isaac's name wrong. Whoops!**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

"_I'm not done!" His son interrupted his apology, "I got so sad that everything felt airless. I couldn't breathe. I guess I fell asleep and then I ended up in here." He took a deep breath before continuing, "When I was sleeping, I went to this one place. I think it was in Rosewood, but I'm not sure. I was in a field surrounded by flowers and trees and I saw a boy. He looked a lot like me and Kenzie. He had Mommy and Riley's eyes. He said that his name was Mason and he was my brother."_

"_Mason came to you in a dream?"_

Andrew nodded, "Do you want me to tell you about it?" His voice was still rough and filled with anger, but at least he was looking at his father straight in the eyes now and willing to tell him about his dream about the little brother he never met.

"Yeah, sport. I'd love to hear it." Ezra smiled at his son and leaned back in the chair and crossed his long, muscular arms across his chest, ready to listen to whatever his son was going to tell him.

* * *

><p><em>Andrew blinked against the bright sun as he opened his dark blue eyes to only look up to the canopy of thick leaves of outlining trees of a forest. He sat up in the flowers and rubbed his curly head, "Whe…Where am I?"He hadn't noticed another curly hair individual who sat beside him. <em>

_The other boy had dark brown curls that covered his small head and hazel eyes with brown around the pupil. He had a lanky build to his body. He looked just like Andrew, besides the hazel eyes, of course. He reminded him of his mother and father; a great mix of the both of them, "Hi, Andy."_

Andy? _Only the people closest to him were allowed to call him that and Andrew didn't even know this kid, "Who are you, squirt?"_

_The boy shrugged, "The name's Mason." _

_That name sounded familiar to the five year old, but it just wasn't ringing any known bells, "Do I even know you? Only my family calls me Andy."_

"_I am a part of your family, though. That's why I called you Andy."_

"_I don't know even recognize you! Like I asked before, who are you?"_

_Mason rolled his hazel eyes and shoved Andrew playfully with his shoulder, "It's me. Mason. Your little brother."_

_Andrew blinked aback in surprise, "No, I have two little brothers. Neither of them are you. And their names are Ashton and Riley."_

"_Andy, would you please just listen to me for a second" Mason huffed in frustration, "Do you remember when Mommy was pregnant last year with your little brother? You know, the one that didn't come home?"_

_Andrew finally made the connection in his mind,_ Mommy and Daddy told me that Mason was never coming home. Did he actually die? _A lump formed in his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it. He wasn't going to let Mason have the satisfaction of making him cry. Besides, he had to be strong, just like his Daddy was. Daddy _never _cried. _

_Mason was watching his facial expression change from annoyance to understand, "So, do you know me now?"_

"_Yeah….or at least I think so." _

_His little brother nodded, his long curls bouncing against his small shoulders, "Good. I was starting to think that you'd be hostile to me during this whole visit."_

_Andrew laughed, "You use some pretty big words."_

_Mason shrugged, chuckling along with his brother, "Well, I have some pretty good teachers where I am."He looked at his brother straight in the eyes and said, "You're pretty mad at Daddy, aren't you?"_

_He nodded in response, averting his blue eyes from Mason's hazel gaze, "He broke his promise, Mason. He promised me that he would be there for me and he didn't show up. I know he has that new 'dream job' of his, but I just don't understand why he would ever put something like that in front of his promise to me."_

_His younger brother shook his head, his curls flopping, "Andy, he didn't intend to miss your first day of kindergarten. I bet he was angry at himself. I wouldn't take it too hard on him when he comes to see you later."_

_Andrew pushed himself to his feet and started pacing, "But, Mason, it's not fair! He always keeps his promises! He was there for Kenzie last year on her first day, but he missed mine! Then Ashton and Riley showed up, and now he and Mommy are always paying more attention to them than to me. I feel so left out of everything all the time!"_

_Mason thought for a moment before looking up at his older brother with sympathy in his eyes, "I see that. I sense your anger and pain. Andrew, my dear brother, Mommy and Daddy love you. Even if they don't pay as much attention to you as they used to before our little siblings were born. I'm sorry that you feel so left out. Heck, I feel pretty left out too. I can only see Mommy and Daddy when they want to see me. Same for you and Kenzie."_

"_Is that why I am only speaking to you now? Because I wanted to speak with you?"_

_He shrugged, "I don't know how it all works. All I am able understand, though, is that when a person wants to see me and I want to so desperately see them, I show up, whether they are dreaming or not. I prefer the person to be sleeping though. When they want to see me when they are awake and I see them, the time is shorter and I get wore out."_

_Andrew nodded in understanding, "I guess I understand that. So, you've met Kenzie before in her dreams? She's never mentioned it."_

"_I think when I met her the first time, she got upset that I couldn't go back with her."_

"_Yeah. She's real sensitive about losing you, bro." _

_Mason sighed and nodded, "I know. But I think me showing up in her dreams more often is better for her than me not trying to see her at all." He shivered with a small smile appearing on his face, "She gets all huggy and kissy. I feel like a doll when I'm around her."_

_Andrew laughed, "Around the house, we call her a mini mommy. She's a good big sister, though. She's always there for me." He thought for a moment, his own grin appearing, "Mommy and Daddy keep telling me that one day, it'll be my job to protect her. I don't see why they keep saying that. I mean, she's the older one. She should be the one doing the protecting."_

"_I know, right?" The two brothers shared a laugh before Mason glanced up at the sky and sighed, "I have to go, Andrew. And so do you."_

_Andrew helped his younger brother to his feet and pulled him into a hug, burying his face into long curls of dark brown hair, "I'll see you around, then?"_

"_Just think of me and I'll be here whenever you want me."_

* * *

><p>Ezra blinked in astonishment as Andrew finished his description of his dream of Mason, "….and then I woke up here." He settled into the hospital bed and pulled the sheet over him, "I want to see him again." He glanced around, "Mason? Where are you?"<p>

His father glanced down at his hands and murmured, "I can't believe it."

"What was that, Daddy?"

He smiled as he heard his son call him _Daddy _again and looked back up at Andrew, "I just can't believe on how screwed up I made everything. I'm sorry, Andy. It's my fault you're in here."

"Nah. When Auntie Spencer came around on rounds, she said it was a pre-existing condition that was never detected until I was really stressed out over earlier today. It's not all your fault." Andrew smiled at him and reached out to ruffle Ezra's hair, "Mommy said I was allowed to do that."

"Oh yeah? What else did Mommy tell you?"

Andy thought for a moment, "She told me not to be mad at you too much and to just forgive you."

Ezra sighed, "You are winning extra Brownie points for that one." They both laughed and he reached out to stroke his five year old's cheek, "Did you tell her about the dream?"

His son hesitated before responding with a high pitched voice, "'Andrew, you dreamt of Mason? Oh my gosh, what is he like? Can you get him to come to me, too?'" He said in a mocking voice of his mother, "Daddy, do you really think that I want to deal with all of the questions that she would ask?"

"Andy…"

"Sorry!"

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria, after going to the clerk desk and picking up some paperwork she needed to fill out so then Andrew could leave the hospital, turned to Isaac and Sarah, "You two can leave if you want. I am getting the paperwork to release Andrew and then we're going to head home to let the little guy rest. Thanks for watching Kenzie and the boys, though."

Isaac nodded and picked Maggie up in his arms, who settled her head into her father's shoulder. Sarah watched with a smile on her face, "Is little Maggie tired?"

He shrugged, kissing his daughter's light brown hair as she soon fell asleep, "She didn't have a chance to take a nap before coming to the hospital."

"You better get her home then."

Isaac watched as his ex-wife kissed their grandchildren goodbye and say goodbye to Aria before heading out the corridor of the waiting room. He called out, causing her to stop in her tracks, "Sarah, wait!" He glanced at Aria with a begging twinkle in his blue eyes, "Can you take Maggie just for a second?"

Aria knew what was coming and smiled at her father in law as she took the sleeping two and a half year old from him, "Go. I can handle this little gal for a minute or two."

"Thank you!" Isaac hurriedly chased after Sarah, who was waiting for him, "If Maggie is going to sleep for a while, she can stay with Aria until Andrew is released."

"Why would you want to do that? Why don't you just drive her home?" Sarah curiously asked with a mischievous twinkle in her green eyes.

Isaac took a deep breath and responded, looking at Sarah straight in the face, his eyes serious, "Sarah, would you like me to treat you to a delicious sandwich down in the hospital cafeteria?"

His ex laughed and sighed, "Oh, Isaac. You have always been creative on how to treat a woman to a date." She shoved his shoulder affectionately and shook her head, "As much as I would love to have hospital food with you, Isaac, I kind of already have plans."

"Oh." He nodded in understanding, "Okay. Maybe another time?"

"Hey, don't look so glum. I'm free tomorrow night. Try to think of something a bit more spontaneous for us to do, please." She giggled at him and kissed his cheek before she turned and disappeared from his sight.

Aria approached him and handed him his daughter, "Nice job, Dad. You're still a lady killer."

"I should get a medal. It could go right next to my Grandfather of the Year trophy."

"Good point."

Isaac adjusted Maggie in his arms, "Aria, I know this is a bit of an awkward question, but would you like to help me find a place where I could take Sarah out tomorrow night? I want to show her that I have changed and prove to her that she can put her trust in me again."

"Well, I already have one place in mind." His daughter-in-law responded with a bright smile. She patted his shoulder, "You may want to start by getting a new outfit. I don't think you, the official Lady Killer of the Year, should be wearing a grease covered t-shirt and grass stained jeans."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra threw the football in Andrew's direction, watching the five year old catch it effortlessly. He charged after him as his son began to run across the yard, Snoopy beside him. He picked him up in his arms and fell to the ground.

"And Andrew Fitz, star wide receiver goes down!"

The two guys picked up their heads as they watched three women appear out of the house. One of them was Aria, the other was Star. The third woman was about the same age as Aria. She had rich dark copper skin and long black hair that reached just below her shoulders. Dark brown eyes met Ezra's and he smiled at her. It was Maya St. Germaine, Star's niece and his new assistant that he had hired earlier that September day.

It'd been about a week and a half since Andrew's trip to the hospital and everything was starting to fall back into normality for the Fitz family. Kenzie and Andrew were already excelling in class and Ashton and Riley were just starting to be able to hold their little heads up on their own. Plus, Isaac and Sarah were beginning to bond more and more every day. They'd already been a few "dates" as friends and were taking things very slow, rekindling the relationship they had when they were teenagers.

Ezra and Aria were both at work now; the twins stayed with Sarah during the day since Aria didn't want them in daycare until they were five months old. They saw one another often on campus and always shared a kiss or two. Her lecture hall wasn't too far from his office either.

Ezra was also beginning to prioritize more. He was always home by the time Kenzie and Andrew got off the bus and he did most of the work during the day with Star's help, much to her dismay. Star was finally fulfilling her promise to her niece to getting her a job on campus so then she could get out of being Ezra's gopher.

Star ruffled Andrew's hair as the five year old hugged her leg, "Hey, little rascal. Are you beating up your Daddy? Lucky you. I've wanted to do that for a while now. Since I met him actually."

Ezra narrowed his eyes at her as he pushed himself off the ground and hugged Aria with one arm, kissing her hair. His wife laughed, "Oh, ease up, Ez. She's just kidding."

He sighed, "Star is never 'just kidding'. She really does want to beat me up."

The vice president laughed, "This is true!" She hugged Maya, "Are you ready to deal with this goofball that I call my boss?"

"Aunt Star, he can't be too bad." Maya laughed, "No, I'm glad to be seeing you again, Mr. Fitz."

"Oh I hate formalities. Just call me Ezra." He smiled his boyish grin at her, chuckling. He couldn't blame her though. The last time he saw her, she was just sixteen and his student in English. 'Mr. Fitz' was the only name she knew him by.

"Okay, Ezra."

Star pointedly said in Ezra's direction, still looking at her niece, "See that smile? Pay no attention to it. I suppose Aria finds it charming, but I just find it annoying."

Ezra ignored that comment and stuck out his hand to Maya, "Welcome to the team."

Andrew looked up at his father and curiously asked, "Can I be part of the team, too, Daddy?"

He laughed and picked his five year old son up in his arms, placing him on his shoulders, "You already are, sport. You already are."

**So, how did I do? I know it was happy, funny, and kind of corny. I wasn't expecting on updating today but after finally getting my butt out of bed, I wrote this down. Luckily, most of it was written in my head, so it wasn't too hard. Plus, I know how much you guys love Mason, so that dream sequence was longer than usual. **

**Daniel will be returning in the next chapter, finally! He and Ezra will be discussing Isaac and Sarah's new relationship as they go from hating each other to friends to maybe something more! **

**I hope you guys enjoyed me putting Maya in. My 'unofficial beta' (see below) wanted to see Star's niece make an appearance, so I was able to fit her in somewhere. I prefer Samara out of all of Emily's girlfriends, but Maya is pretty cool, I must admit. **

**Y'all will be happy to know that I am planning to end this fanfic at about 30-33 chapters, including a two part epilogue, which I am already outlining. And I will make sure that we end on a good note. **

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unofficial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**

**As I post this chapter, there are 303 reviews. You guys seriously rock my socks. Do you know how long it took me to get 460 something on A Romance to Last a Lifetime? About seven months! And I have only been writing Double Infinity for barely 3. You guys are awesome!**

**Also, please check out my newest fanfic, If I Knew Then. I started planning it out back in September and it finally made its way to a Word document. So far I have gotten a good response and if you haven't already, please read it! It's something that my Lady Antebellum obsession helped me out with. The story is going to pretty much match up with the lyrics of the song. So, if you want to know the path of the story, listen to it and read the lyrics! Thanks! You guys are the best!**


	26. Romance in Italian is Still Romance

**Story Title- Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 26: Romance in Italian is Still Romance**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, I would be the luckiest person on the planet to have so many dedicated fans.**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria stroded into Ezra's campus office at around eleven-thirty in the morning, an apologetic smile on her face, "Ezra, I can't make it for lunch today. Would it be alright if we rescheduled for dinner tonight?"

"But we planned on having lunch together today." Ezra protested as she came to sit on his lap and he wrapped his arm around her tiny waist, pressing his face into her shoulder, "Why are you cancelling?" He'd been looking forward to having lunch together since they planned it two days ago.

Star and Maya entered the office before Aria could answer and Star shook her head with a giggle, "Oh, poor Ezra! Don't worry your goofy haired head about it. Aria just needs some girl time with her favorite person on the planet. Me! With my trusted sidekick, of course!" She giggled once more and Maya joined in.

Ezra looked at Star with a warning glimmer in his blue eyes before turning back to his wife, stroking her hair softly with his long fingers, "Is that true? You're ditching me to have lunch with Star and Maya?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Fitzy?"

"Can it, Star."

Aria rolled her eyes at their arguing, "You two are worse than Kenzie and Andrew, I swear…" She kissed the tip of Ezra's nose, "Don't look so sad. We just need to talk about some things. You know, girl stuff?" She lowered her voice so then only he could hear her, her finger tips running over the thin skin of the back of Ezra's neck, making the tiny hairs stand up. "Actually, I have more planned for us to do tonight. Dinner at the Italian Bistro for a little us time?"

He couldn't help but smile, his cheeks flushing a reddish pink color, "That sounds like a _fantastic _idea." He glanced at Maya and Star before whispering, "Have fun with your friends. And try not to let Star insult me too much. I rather her to just have her do it to my face."

"Oh, you know you're glad to have me around. I keep you in line and I'm hilarious." Star beamed at him, her white teeth flashing against her mocha brown skin, "Aria will have a blast with me and Maya today at lunch. I am, after all, the definition of fun." She bumped her niece beside her with her shoulder, "And Maya here is a synonym. Isn't that right?"

Her niece laughed, "I'd say so." In the next second, she turned to her boss and went business-like, "Your meeting was moved from this afternoon to Monday. The head of the board had a family emergency. I also filed those papers for you that you asked me to. You should take the rest of the day off and spend some time with the twins. I'm sure they would enjoy just spending time with their daddy. You deserve a Friday afternoon off."

Star coughed sarcastically, her right fist clamped to her mouth with a mischievous smile in her brown eyes, "Ezra needs to give you a raise."

Ezra smiled and nodded, "If she keeps doing as well as she is doing now, I am going to have to. Thank you, Maya, for all of your hard work."

"Just doing my job, sir."

Aria squeezed her husband's knee and softly said, "Daniel's in town for that veterinary conference, right? Why don't you call him and you two yahoos of brothers can have lunch together?"

He thought about this for a moment. He hadn't seen Daniel in such a long time. His thirty-one year old brother didn't even know about Ashton and Riley yet. He had his own family now, anyways; he married his long-term girlfriend, Lily and she was two months pregnant with their first child. Or that's what Sarah had told him. Ezra and Daniel were close, but after losing Mason, he'd sort of pushed his little brother away. Danny understood, though and agreed to give Ezra's family the space they needed. Since then, they'd hardly spoken.

He nodded slowly, his boyish smile pulling at the corners of his lips, "When did you become so giving in the idea department?" He watched as her cheeks flushed pink and he nestled his head on her shoulder.

Star tugged on Aria's shirt, "Come on, Ar. The lunch rush will be on the streets soon and I am a bad enough driver _without _people on the road. And you two can always continue this in your bedroom tonight."

Ezra and Aria's eyes snapped up to glare at Star and they exclaimed at the same time, "Star!"

"Sorry. Come on, Maya. We'll be in the car waiting for you to say your goodbyes." The aunt and niece ran out of the office as fast as they had come.

As soon as they were out of sight, the husband and wife's lips were locked in a fiery passion. Ezra played with the waistline on Aria's jeans and she knotted her fingers into his wavy curls, her body pressed tightly to his. He ran his ran his hand underneath her shirt and caressed the small of her back, causing goose bumps to form there. She giggled and forced herself away from him reluctantly, breathing heavily, "I better be going."

"They can wait a few more minutes."

:"Ezra, we are talking about Star here."

"Good point."

She pressed one last kiss to his glistening lips before hopping off of his lap, "Call your brother and have a good time with him."

He stood up and gave her a tight hug, pressing his face into her long hair, "I love you, Aria."

"I love you, too." When they pulled away, she kissed his cheek and hurriedly left the office, her husband watching her the whole time, a small smile on his face.

* * *

><p>"Hey, big brother!" Ezra's head shot up as he saw his younger brother, Daniel, walking toward him, a wide smile on his face. He stood from the table outside the small pub so then he could hug his brother. He looked changed, as if he'd grown up since they'd last seen one another. His long straight hair was gone; he was actually letting his curls show. They covered his forehead and hung over his dark blue eyes. His skin was tan and his body was a bit bulkier as if he was working out now. However, though he'd made all of these changes, he and Ezra could never be mistaken for being brothers. They took after their father too much.<p>

"Hey, Danny. How's Lily?"

Daniel laughed nervously as they sat across from each other, "Well, she's pregnant, that's for sure. Two months into it and I can't wait until it's over." He gazed at his brother for a long moment before continuing, "How about Aria? Is she holding up good?"

Ezra nodded, "She's doing really well actually. She's back to work and she loves being out of that depression she was in last year after we lost Mason."

Daniel pursed his lips with a smile teasing smile, "I meant if she's still hot after having four kids. I mean, with Ashton and Riley-"

"Wait, you know about the boys?"

His little brother rolled his eyes, "Ezra, my dear brother, Mom told me the night you guys came back from Alaska. Like she wouldn't tell me. She couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it."

"That is true." They shared a laugh and Ezra nodded again with his eyes distant, "And as for your highly inappropriate question about my wife, yes, she is still beautiful."

"Just say it, Ez. She's _smoking hot._"

He sighed, closing his eyes, trying not to smile, "Daniel, so help me, I will hit you with a brick."

"Sorry, I'm just being honest." Daniel said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "So, what's the deal with Mom and Dad? Dad told me that they have some kind of thing going on. Please tell me that we're not heading on that track again!"

"Daniel, they're getting along. Isn't that we've wanted since we were kids?"

Daniel sighed, "I guess. So, what are _we _going to do about it? Get them back together? Ez, I hate to break it to you, but I have my own marriage to worry about now and so do you! We aren't twelve and ten anymore, trying to get them to get along."

"We used to love the movie the _Parent Trap, _Danny. Remember? You used to have that giant crush on Lindsay Lohan?"

"Then she went on crack and gin and then got sent to the loony bin. Yeah, what's your point?"

They both leaned forward as if they were sharing a secret, Ezra speaking in a hushed tone, "I already thought this through. Tomorrow night, I told them to show up at Central Park at seven. Little do they know that I connections since I am now the president of Columbia. A head chef at one of Mom's favorite restaurants here in the city is fixing them a gourmet meal. The appetizer, entrée, and dessert with the finest wine that money can buy. And I am thinking that since you play the guitar so well that you could possibly-"

"Play the background music?" Daniel finally cracked a smile, "You're lucky that I bring my guitar whenever I travel. So, what are you going to be doing while all of this is going? Doing it in the bushes with Aria while I do all the hard work?"

Ezra's cheeks flushed a dark red, "Of course not, you sick pervert!"He sighed deeply, trying to stop himself from laughing with his perverted brother, "I am going to be the waiter."

"I am going to love to see that." Daniel smiled at Ezra, "So, we're really going to do this? We are going to play matchmaker and try to get Mommy and Daddy back together?"

Ezra shot out his hand and Daniel took it as they shook hands, making the agreement a solid one, "It's like our childhood dream all over again."

"It is." Daniel's smile widened as he said, "And I'm still the better looking Fitz brother, just like back when we were kids."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Star ordered another glass of water and then turned back to Maya, her square framed glasses sliding down her nose, "So, my beautiful and intelligent niece, tell me what happened from the beginning. I want to hear all about it."

"Well, when I went over to Ezra and Aria's house a couple of days ago to drop of some paperwork that Ezra needed to do, the other girls were there. Meaning Hanna, Spencer, and….Emily, of course. They were there to see the twins, Kenzie, and Andrew. Well, when I arrived, that was the first time I saw Emily since right before moving to New York to live with you. It was beyond awkward. I didn't know what to say, or what to do. Neither of us did. I've done my best to put her in my past, but I think I still have feelings for her. I don't know. I've had other girlfriends since we broke up, but there was always something holding me back. There is just something about her that draws me back."

Her aunt nodded in understanding, her eyes soft as she gazed at Maya, "Sweetheart, if you still have feelings for her, then go after her. Fight for her if she's what you really want. And from what it sounds like, you want her back."  
>"Aunt Star? Is that you?" Maya laughed, her jet black hair that was grouped up by a ponytail bouncing against her shoulders, "Last time that we talked about me dating girls, you went all Christian on me. What happened to that?"<p>

She rolled her eyes, "No, Maya. I told you that I don't agree with homosexuality. It has nothing to do with you personally. Plus, I've come to somewhat accept it, even if I don't agree. You're the closest thing I have ever had to a kid of my own. I don't want to screw up our relationship with something stupid like me not learning to love you for who you are."

"Thank you.'

"My pleasure, squirt." The aunt and niece shared a laugh. Aria looked at them back and forth with a grin gracing her face. She'd never seen Star affectionate and loving. She obviously loved Maya as if she were her own daughter. She was a great listener and she seemed to do it without judging.

Star turned to Aria, "What are you smiling at, Mrs. Fitz? Thinking about tonight when you and Ezra can get your lovin' on?"

She closed her eyes and smiled as she thought, _There goes the sweet moment, _"Well, of course, because I could never think about anything else."

Her friend chuckled softly, "So, is Emily available or not? My niece would love to know."

"Aunt Star…"

"Stop your whining, squirt. I'm helping you out."

"Fine."

Aria shrugged, "I'm guessing she's not. I haven't had a lot of time with her or any of the girls since we got back from Alaska. After adjusting to being a mom of four, a wife of a president of a large university, and Andrew having asthma, I just can't play matchmaker like I used to be able to."

Star pursed her lips, "Well, if you ever do get a chance to talk to Emily, please ask her if she'd be interested in having a cup of coffee with Maya here."

Maya's dark cheeks were staining were red, "Or I could just talk to her myself. I'm not like some kind of mute, Aunt Star."

"Fine! I was just trying to help you out." Star tried to be stern, but ended up failing completely, ending her sentence with a laugh before turning to Aria once more, "So, what do you plan on wearing tonight on your date with your hubby?'

"Well," Aria smiled as she remembered the date she and Ezra were going on that night. _It's going to be wonderful,_ "for our first public date back in Rosewood, I wore a red strapless dress. Is it sad that I still have it?"

"Yes." Maya and Star said at the same time.

"So, I don't really have anything. I'm a mom. I don't go out all that much."

Star grinned from ear to ear, "I'm sure Ezra wouldn't mind if you went dress shopping with a credit card, now would he?"

* * *

><p>Kenzie watched as her mother came out of the bathroom with the new dress she'd bought earlier that day shimmering down her petite body. The black, gray, and purple striped fabric draped against her skin, the V neck cut perfectly, not revealing too much cleavage, but enough to make her husband drool, "So, Kenzie, how do I look?"<p>

Kenzie clapped and giggled as she watched Aria twirl around in a circle, "Mommy, you look so pretty!"

Aria laughed and kissed the six and a half year old's forehead, "Oh, thank you, sweetheart." She directed her daughter in the direction of the closet, "How about you go and get me a pair of shoes so then I don't go bare foot?"

"Okay! Anything for you, Mommy!" Kenzie bounded to the closest, her long dark brown curls bouncing against her shoulders.

Andrew walked in the bedroom, with his hand clamped over his eyes, "Is it safe for me to come in now?"

The mother of four laughed and replied to her son, "You can come in, Andy. We're all okay in here."

His hand dropped from his young face and when he saw his mother, he whistled, "Damn. Mommy, you're looking mighty fine!"

"Andrew Jayden Fitz!" She laughed as she picked her little boy up into her arms, "Where did you learn that kind of language?"

He rolled his blue eyes in exasperation, "Mommy, I don't live in a cave. Auntie Hanna isn't exactly bleeped when she comes over."

"That is true. But that doesn't mean that I have to hear you talk like that. No using those words anymore, okay? Have we got a deal?" She kissed his cheek, hugging him closely to her.

"Oh okay." Andrew hugged her back before wiggling out of her grip and plopping onto his parents' bed, "So, I came in here to say that Ashton just fell asleep and Riley is still snoring away." His face widened into a smile, "Now that I'm used to them, they aren't half bad."

"I knew you'd get used to them, kiddo. Plus, you are so good with them. You'll be the role model they'll need when they're older."

Andrew nodded, his long curly locks bouncing, "I'm going to be the best big brother in the universe. I'll teach them how to play soccer, football, and how to draw Pikachu."

"That's awesome, Andy. Thank you for being such a good older brother." Aria smiled at him before Kenzie came bounding out of the closest, a pair of shoes in her hands; the black stilettos that Ezra had given her for her twenty-fifth birthday.

Aria slipped them on and twirled around again in a circle. There was a knock on the open door and Daniel's smiling face appeared, "Hey, guys!"

"Uncle Danny!" Kenzie and Andrew exclaimed as they rushed over to their uncle who was now squatting on the floor of the bedroom so then he could hug them tightly, kissing their foreheads.

"Hey, guys! Andrew, dude, you're getting big. Last time I saw you, you were just a squirt. What happened? Is your dad feeding you steroids again?" Daniel's grin widened, his white teeth flashing.

Kenzie gave him her famous puppy dog lip, "What about me, Uncle Danny?"

"Oh, Kenzie!" He hugged her again, kissing her hair, "You are looking beautiful. Just like your mother." His eyes traveled to Aria and widened to the size of saucers, "Wow, Aria. You are looking great. Damn…"

Andrew looked at his uncle, pointing his finger just centimeters from his face, "That's a dirty word, mister! I don't to hear that out of your mouth again!"

"Yes, sir!" He gave both of the children one last squeeze of a hug before standing to go to Aria and wrapping her up in his long arms, "Hey, little sister."

Aria laughed, pulling away from her brother-in-law, "Hey, big brother. What are you doing here?"

"Well, Ezra mentioned your date tonight, so I thought I would help Mom and Dad out with watching these two as well as Ashton and Riley. They aren't here yet and Ezra wanted to get to the reservations early, so I thought I'd help him out." He looked at her up and down, "You are looking better from when I saw you a year ago. Even after having four kids."

She giggled, her cheeks flushing pink. Daniel always did have the personality that was sweet yet very honest. Brutally honest, actually. He wasn't subtle when it came to embarrassing her either, "Why, thank you, Danny. That's very sweet of you."

Ezra poked his head into the room then and Aria hid behind the corner, "Make him wait in the living room!"

Kenzie and Andrew began to push on their father's legs, Kenzie saying sternly, "Move, Daddy! Mommy isn't ready for you yet!."

"Alright then." Ezra and Daniel shared a laugh as they retreated and Aria didn't come out the closet until she checked herself in the mirror and smoothed down her dress. She fixed her hair one last time before finally leaving the bedroom, going down the hall, flicking off the lights.

Ezra was still laughing at something that Kenzie was explaining to him about her day at school. When Aria stepped out, though, his blue eyes glued on her., his mouth popped open wide and Aria could have sworn that she saw him nervously wipe his mouth of drool, "W-wow."

She twirled in place and Kenzie copied her. They shared a giggle and Aria hugged her daughter close to her bare legs, "Be good for Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Danny tonight."

Ezra stepped closer to his wife and he lowered his voice so then only she could hear him speak, "I have never seen such a beautiful woman in my life."

Daniel whistled behind him, "Ezra, just say it already! Your wife has a rocking body and is _smoking hot!" _

He closed his eyes, suppressing his smile that was tempting to grace his face, "Daniel, go find that brick." He gazed at Aria and quietly said, "Fine. Aria, I will now stoop to his sexist level and say 'you're smoking hot'. Please excuse my extremely inappropriate brother and his unnecessary comments."

She giggled and took his hand in hers, pressing it to her lips, giving it a kiss, "Thank you, Ezra. I don't mind. I'm used to him and his unnecessary comments. So, are you ready to go?"

He nodded, "We better be going if we are to make the reservations on time." He held his arm to her and she grinned as he said, raising his eyebrow, with his boyish smile on his soft pink lips, "Shall we, my lady?"

"We shall."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra spun Aria around on the _Bistros _dance floor, pulling her back into him rhythmically, "I forgot how much I loved dancing with you." He kissed her forehead tenderly, his hand caressing the small of her back, keeping her there, "You look so beautiful tonight."

She rested her head gentle on his chest, 'Well, I told you I was planning something special for you tonight." She giggled into his shirt.

"What?"

She looked up at him with her adorable smile pulling at the corners of her lips, "_You _asked _me _to dance with you. Usually I have to beg you to dance with me. But, not tonight."

Just at that moment, _Happiness _by The Fray began to stream through the speakers and they shared a small laugh as they fell into the familiar pattern of their love song. The moonlight only seemed to shine on them and the glimmering water of the Hudson that sat just underneath the balcony of the _Italian Bistro_ .

Ezra thought for a moment before murmuring, "What would you think about going back to Italy for a second honeymoon all of next summer? Just me, you, and the kids for three weeks in Rome."

She broke out into a full blown smile, "Are you serious? What? Why now?"

"Well, I got an email by two old friends of ours over there. Do you remember Harry and Marie?"

"Of course, I do! Harry was hilarious when we were there. Then Marie was so sweet. Then the spaghetti at that hotel. Cosi delizioso!" She licked her lips and Ezra laughed, hugging her closer to his larger body.

"Well, Harry and Marie wanted to meet the kids and I do have all of the summer off and so do you. Plus, the kids will be on break for a while….So let's be spontaneous and take a trip back to where everything was perfect."

Aria nodded enthusiastically, "On one condition."

"What would that be, lovely?" He kissed the tip of her nose, smiling his boyish grin.

She locked gazes with him again, her own smile growing wider, "We go to Rosewood for Christmas. My parents and Mike still haven't met Ashton and Riley and it is their first Christmas-"

"Done." He nestled his face into the crape of her neck, inhaling the scent of her strawberry-banana shampoo, "You know what, Aria?"

"What, Ezra?"

"Ti amo."

Her grin widened even more, so then it was reaching both of her ears, "Anch'io ti amo." Their lips met as they both leaned in. The moonlight lit up their hair as they continued to kiss. Their song continued to play in the background:

_Happiness damn near destroys you  
>Breaks your faith to pieces on the floor<br>So you tell yourself, that's enough for now  
>Happiness has a violent roar<br>Happiness is like the old man told me  
>Look for it, but you'll never find it all<br>Let it go, live your life and leave it  
>Then one day, wake up and she'll be home.<em>

**This is officially the last chapter….just kidding! It is, though, the last chapter of 2011. Because when I update this next week, it will be 2012. I hope you guys enjoyed this funny, sweet, romantic, and wonderful chapter. I beat my record of words, because I am almost at 5000.**

**About Maya and Emily: I ship Samily, but I feel like Maya and Emily have more chemistry and history, though I hate to admit it. I can work more from their storyline better than I can Emily and Samara. How do you Emaya shippers like that? And I love Star in this past chapter. Being an aunt, I wouldn't necessarily approve if one of my nephews or my niece were gay, but I would still love them regardless of their sexuality. So, I can relate to Star in that way. **

**In the next chapter, Isaac and Sarah will 'officially' take their next step past friendship with the Parent Trap that Daniel and Ezra are planning. Meanwhile, Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Aria reconnect, with an appearance by Maya!**

**Y'all will be happy to know that I am planning to end this fanfic at about 30-33 chapters, including a two part epilogue, which I am already outlining. And I will make sure that we end on a good note. **

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unofficial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**

**I will see you guys in 2012! I love you guys; each and every one of you make me smile, laugh, and cry. This has been one of the best years of my life and one of the big reasons is having y'all behind me. I am so thankful for you; all of you have a special place in my heart. Happy New Year! God bless!**


	27. The Past Inflicting the Present

**Story Title- Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 27: The Past Inflicting the Present**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, I don't think I'd be able to keep the secret of whom –A is. **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra and Aria arrived back at their house around eleven at night. They hadn't meant to stay out so late, but being alone together got to them and they wanted to savor it while it lasted. They danced, they ate, they laughed, and then they went to where Mason was buried and laid new flowers on his grave. The night had been perfect.

Ezra hung his coat up on the coat rack next to the front door and then helped his wife with hers. She stretched up to kiss her husband's cheek and then went to the living room. There on the couch was Isaac and Sarah watching a movie of some sort. Sarah had her head on her ex-husband's shoulder while Isaac's head leaned on top of hers. Aria couldn't help but smile. They looked genuinely happy.

Isaac finally noticed his daughter-in-law's presence and he shifted uncomfortably, picking his head up, "Um, hey there, Aria."

Sarah shot up off the couch in surprise, "Oh. Hi, Aria. We were just, um…."

Isaac pitched in, "Watching a movie, waiting for you two to get home."

"Yes! The kids went to bed at about nine and we just wanted to pass time."

Ezra walked into the living room at that moment and flipped on the light to illuminate the room and his eyes widened when he saw his parents on the couch, "Hi, you two. Are we interrupting anything?"

"Shut up, Ezra." Sarah rolled her eyes at her oldest son.

"Hey, I was just asking a simple question."

Isaac stood and stretched, "Well, I'll get Maggie and we can head out."

Aria exchanged a glance with Ezra and mouthed the word _We? _Her husband shrugged before saying to Isaac and Sarah, "Well, thanks for watching the kids for us." He glanced around, "Where on Earth is Danny?"

"Lily needed him back home. He drove to Philadelphia and he said he'll be back by tomorrow." Sarah smiled at Ezra before slipping on her coat and then said to Isaac, "I'll wait in the car."

He nodded, returning her smile with his dopey half grin, "I'll be out soon." His ex blushed a light pink and then headed out the front door. He turned to his son and Aria, "We weren't….I, uh, don't know…We're, um-"

Ezra laughed quietly, "Dad, only an idiot wouldn't see the feelings you have for Mom. Don't be ashamed of it. It's perfectly fine."

"It's not that simple, Ezra and you know it." Isaac muttered, "As much as I wish we could get back to the old routine-whatever in the hell that is-we can't. We have too much rotten history for that. I have to start from scratch to get your mother to love me again." He shrugged and headed down the hall to wake his daughter.

Aria picked up the DVD case which showed what movie Isaac and Sarah had been watching and she laughed. Ezra glanced at her with narrowed blue eyes, "What's so funny?"

"They were watching _It Happened One Night."_

* * *

><p>Aria awoke in Ezra's arms the next morning, his sweet musky breath upon the skin of her neck. She smiled and tried to wrestle free of his grasp. He muttered, a chuckle to his heavy tone, "Where do you think you're going?"<p>

"We need to get rolling. You have a meeting at nine and the girls are coming over. Come on, Ezra. Let me go." She giggled and she fought to get free of him. He only tightened his grip on her and began to kiss her neck, "Ezra…"

He chuckled again, "Come on, Aria. We were out late last night and then we came back here to….finish it off with a big bang. I'm exhausted."

She blushed deep red. What he said was true. They didn't get home until after eleven and they continued their fabulous night for about another two years behind a closed bedroom door. Ezra was right when he said that he was tired. She was tired too, "Fine." She flipped over so she could face him, "We could at least see each other then, if we lay here for a little while longer."

He flashed his boyish smile as he held her even tighter, "Well, I enjoy this rather much." He kissed the tip of her nose as his hand traveled down her side, his fingers leaving goose bumps on her bare skin, "Last night was worth the tiredness, you must admit."

Aria nodded, reaching out the palm of her hand to softly stroke Ezra's cheek, "Every night with you is amazing. Last night made my top ten, that's for sure."

Ezra's grinned and leaned in to gently press his lips to hers. His hands moved back up her body and froze at the back of her head, keeping her there. They remained like that for a moment before finally breaking apart. He blinked dreary blue eyes at her, "Can't we keep doing this? I can skip the meeting. It's only a new intern. I can reschedule for lunch."

She laughed and then shook her head, "Come on. We need to get the kids up anyways." They began kissing again and she soon forgot her last sentence as her husband's hand found its way to her knee and drawing it up to his waist.

He kissed her knee, his lips tracing up to her thigh, causing her to shiver. She pushed him away slightly and he gave her a mischievous smile, "Afraid Hanna will walk in, or something?"

She giggled and shook her head, "I wasn't. But now I am." She leaped off the bed, dragging a blanket with her to cover her bare body, "I have to take a shower now. Care to join me?"

He grinned and reluctantly shook his head no, "I'll never want to come out. Plus, my meeting is in an hour."

"What just happened to rescheduling?"

"Well, what happened to you wanting to get us and moving for the day? You know if we get in the shower together, we won't want to come out for at least an hour. Don't you remember the first full day of our honeymoon?"

* * *

><p><em>Aria kissed his chest and sat up, picking up her white robe when the carpet and slipped it on before hurrying into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.<em>

_Just as Ezra slipped out of the sheets, he heard a voice from behind the bathroom door, "Oh, Ezra? Do you want to come join me and your baby for a shower?"_

_He ran to the bathroom door, knocking on the door before entering, smiling as he takes his wife, only in her white bikini from last night. He scooped her up in his arms and carries her behind the shower curtain. She laughed, not fighting him and turned on the water and after a moment, the cool water began pouring over them. Aria squirted the shampoo unto her hair and then lathered it over her husband's head gently with her hands. She couldn't help but smile as the water soaked through his white tank shirt, clinging to his well-developed muscle in his muscular chest and stomach. Ezra noticed her checking him out and he grinned back at her, "Do you want to take a picture?"_

_"Already have, Ez. This image of you all wet and soapy is forever burned into my brain."_

_He rolled his blue eyes, "Why am I not surprised?" He kissed her, ignoring the shampoo running down both of their faces, tracing his tongue over the roof of her mouth. This time, the kiss was not ended just after a few moments. His handed moving on her back, lips moving around hers, Ezra kept his wife in the kiss, though she's was as involved with the embrace as much as he was, her fingers knotted in his blackish-brown hair, oozing soap._

_Finally, when they both needed breathe, they reluctantly pulled away from one another, only for Ezra to press his lips against her neck, making her giggle, "Ezra...we have to get moving. We don't want to miss today's part of the festival, do we?"_

_He pulled away from her, with a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "Your right." He gestured down at his soaked white tank top, "Might as well just take this off."_

_Aria stopped his hands from pulling it over his head, "Let me do it, Ezra." He looked at her, raising an eyebrow in a "Really?" look, but nodded. Aria's fingers grabbed the hem of his tank, slowly tugging the soaked cotton shirt over his head, leaving her husband bare-backed and wet._

_Ezra shook out his hair as they stepped out of the shower, "I feel like a wet dog."_

_She laughed, squeezing out the white top of the water, "Well, I guess you're my little Snoopy then."_

_"Okay. Then that makes you my Charlie Brown." He gave her a little "Ruff" before drawing his tongue over Aria's cheek._

* * *

><p>Aria remembered that all too well and Ezra knew it. So, he just grinned and nodded, "I'll go get the twins up and make them some bottles. You get ready. And try to use some cover up on those hickeys okay? I don't Hanna making inappropriate comments in front of Kenzie and Andrew."<p>

"Very funny, Ezra."

He leapt off the bed to give her a kiss on the cheek, "Okay, I'm sorry. Just go get a shower and relax a little bit. I can take care of getting our children up." He gave her a one-armed hug and a kiss on top of the head before slipping on a tank shirt so then he just wouldn't be in a pair of shorts and leaving the bedroom.

Aria entered the bathroom and examined her neck from the reflection of the bathroom mirror. _Dammit, Ezra. You knew that the girls were coming over. Why do you only make it harder for me to try to cover these things up?_

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra strolled through the park on the way to the coffee shop to where he was to meet the new intern at the University. The young man was a candidate to replace an aging pre-law professor and this was the last interview before starting the job.

He hadn't noticed through his coffee sipping and glancing around the beautiful views of Central Park the curly haired boy walking beside him. He turned to look down at him, only to have his eyes met with hazel orbs blinking back at him. He halted in his tracks, glancing around making sure no one was catching him talking to the air, "Mason?"

Mason nodded, giving his father a small wave, "Hi, Daddy."

Ezra ran his hand through his curly hair, "What are you doing here?"

"Daddy, I told you. When you want to see me and I want to see you, I come here." The little boy shook his head, "I thought I also said that it wears me out to come to you _when you're awake."_

"You could have waited for me to go to sleep tonight."

Mason rolled his eyes, "I have a bed time too. I can only be out in dream land for so long before Father pulls me back. And the rate that you and Mommy go, it's _way _past my time to be out and about."

Ezra sighed and sat on a park bench with his son following close behind, "So, what you want to talk about?"

His son crossed his arms across his small chest, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips, "I wanted to know more about what is going on about Grandpa and Grandma. Are you getting them back together?"

"Well, kiddo, me and your uncle are going to do our best to. We've wanted them back together since we were little. So," Ezra nodded, "yeah. Papa and Nanna are getting back together."

"That's good. I get tired of listening to them argue all the time."

"That's what me and Danny call tough love. That's just how we know their true feelings for one another. "

Mason looked at his father with confusion clear on his young face, "Why don't you and Mommy fight then?" His eyes became clear and then he nodded in understanding, "I'm guessing you two showing is more like you two being all over one another?"

Ezra's cheeks stained scarlet, _I did not expect to be having this conversation with my son today, _"I guess you could say that." He shook his head in embarrassment, "Mason, you can't just _spy _on us like that."

"_Spy? _No, trust me, Daddy. I don't spy on you and Mommy doing _that_. There are just some things that I know by instinct. Plus you guys are loud enough to hear way up even in the clouds."

"Mason Carter!"

"Sorry."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Maya tossed a long lock of her jet black hair behind her shoulder as she stood from the stool by the counter, "I better be going then."

"You sure you don't want to be here when the girls stop by? I'm sure they'd all love to see you. Especially Emily-"Aria pleaded to her new friend. She'd only stopped by to drop off a file for Ezra to read before work on Monday. Then they got talking about girl stuff and her friend's ex-girlfriend ended up staying an hour later than expected.

Maya interrupted her by shaking her head, "No. I promised Aunt Star I'd go to campus and help her with some computer stuff."

"Are you okay, Maya? Really? Come on. You can tell me anything; you know that."

Her husband's assistant sighed in exasperation, "I don't know about that yet. These feelings I have for Emily make me feel so young again. I mean, I am almost thirty. And I have a great job working for Ezra on campus at Columbia. But when I saw Emily the other day," She shuddered, "it made it feel like the whole world froze. I want to have something with her again. I just don't think I can be with _with _her again, though." She paused before continuing, "What I went through when I was sixteen was awful. I finally went public with Emily and then I get sent off to True North for three months. You know what that was like the night we said goodbye? It _felt _like love, but now that I look back, I realize that I was just a kid. I didn't know what love was."

"Sixteen is young, but remember, I found love at sixteen." Aria gave her new friend a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"But, Aria, not everyone has an Ezra like you do. Not everyone can say that she married her sort-of high school sweetheart and had four great kids with him, living happily in New York with great careers and great families. All the family I have is Aunt Star. My parents lost contact with me after I went off to college and my brother hardly even looks my way anymore." Maya's shoulders sagged, "I made my own choices though. If I hadn't had that marijuana all those years ago, me and Emily would probably be happily together by now."

"So, you are just gonna go day by day? One baby-step at a time?"

Maya smiled at last, "Exactly."

"So, stay and see Emily. You guys can't start a real friendship until you can have an adult conversation about your lives and how you have changed in these past eleven years."

Maya laughed, "No, really, Aria. I have to go. But thanks for the coffee and letting me visit with the kids."

"It was my pleasure."

Her new friend left and it wasn't ten minutes later when Hanna, Spencer, and Emily arrived. Hanna clasped magazines in her hands and Spencer shuffled into the house, holding Xavier's hand. Emily glanced over her shoulder, "Was that Maya's car?"

"Yeah, she had some stuff to drop off for Ezra on Monday. A file on statistics or something like that."

"Oh."

Hanna set the pile of magazines on the counter loudly, "So, I was-" Her eyes flickered to Aria's neck and back to her best friend's gaze, "Aria, were you and Fitzy getting it on last night after your big date?"

"Hanna! There are two six year olds and a five year old present." Aria jerked her head in the direction of Xavier, Kenzie, and Andrew who were excitedly going through coloring books at the kitchen table, crayons rolling everywhere.

Hanna rolled her eyes and moved Aria's hair out of the way to peer closer at the large bluish purple bite mark on her friend's neck, "The hickeys don't lie, honey."

**Sorry for the lack of updates, y'all. I meant to update yesterday, but you know those days when everything just seems 'off'? Well that was my day yesterday. So, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and thought it was worth waiting for.**

**Next chapter: The Parent Trap takes place and Hanna reveals a secret that is really going to make an impact on her place in the story, as well as Caleb's. (Don't worry! She is not going to die! It's a good impact!)**

**BTW thank you to ****AJMcGough**** for the idea of Ezra and Aria coming home with Isaac and Sarah on the couch. I really appreciated it and it does in fact fit into what I am doing with their relationship in the future!**

**Y'all will be happy to know that I am planning to end this fanfic at about 30-33 chapters, including a two part epilogue, which I am already outlining. And I will make sure that we end on a good note. **

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unofficial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**

**So, how did y'all enjoy the winter premiere? All I can say is that EZRIA IS OUT, baby! It was everything I hoped for and much more! And then Ezra vs. Jackie! Man, it was so worth waiting five months for! Leave your own opinions in the reviews so then I know what you guys thought of the episode too!**

**Update of If I Knew Then tomorrow and then PLL! See y'all then :D **


	28. Formalities Are a Killer

**Story Title- Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 28: Formalities Are a Killer  
><strong>

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL, 217 would be tonight and 224 would be right after. Who else is extremely excited for 217? I know I am!**

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Hanna nervously drummed her fingers against the granite counter as she waited for her friends to end their previous conversations, "I have something important to tell you." She glanced at each one of the girls before taking a deep breath and saying, "Do you guys remember when I said that I never really wanted a kid of my own?" Her eyes shifted to Aria, "Because borrowing one of Aria's four is fine with me? Or babysitting Xavier for Spencer and Toby while they go make monkey in the bed of his truck?"

Spencer and Aria's cheeks stained red and Emily just giggled, forcing herself to hide her smile with her hand, "Hanna!"

Hanna ignored the scolding and continued, her own face starting to flame, "Well, Caleb and I decided that it was finally time to try and have a baby."

Aria's hazel eyes widened and she gave her friend a one armed hug, "Are you serious? You guys were always so set against having a kid running around!"

"Well, that's because that neither of us was ready to raise another human being. Because unlike you, Aria, my husband isn't six and a half years my senior." After that statement, she recoiled and quickly apologized, "I didn't mean it like that. I intended to say that Caleb and I thought when we were first got married that twenty two was too young to have a kid running around."

Spencer finally cracked her lop-sided smirk, "And suddenly all of that has changed?"

"Well, if you would let me talk, I may be able to finish my statement." Hanna shook her blonde head in good humor, "So, Caleb and I agreed that it was time to start a family of our own. And I got permission from him before I came over if he'd allow me to tell you about our newest member."

All of the girls squealed like they were sixteen year old teenage girls again and the three children sitting at the kitchen table glanced up from their coloring books, alert from the new noise in the atmosphere. Kenzie piped up the courage and asked, "Do you guys see a mouse? Why don't you just get Snoopy to kill it like he did the last one?"

Aria laughed and shook her head, "No, sweetheart. No mouse right now."

"Oh. Well, Snoopy is right over here with us if you need him."

Hanna narrowed her eyes, "You guys have mice?" She glanced around her feet, as if she literally felt the rodents crawling over her skin, leaving behind an array of diseases.

"So not the point right now, Han." Spencer rolled her eyes and then gave her blonde friend a tight hug, "How far along are you? Have you seen a doctor yet? Have you been taking vitamins? Do you have morning sickness as bad as me and Aria did?"

"Wow. Let me breathe, will you, Spence?" She laughed and shrugged off her friends' constant hugging, "But to answer them: thirteen weeks, yes, not yet, and yes. The last one is a very big yes. I'm surprised I was even able to leave the bathroom this morning. It's where I seem to be spending a lot of time these days." Her hand began to caress her almost unnoticeable baby bump, "The first sonogram is in three weeks and I'd really like for you guys to be there."

In unison, Spencer, Aria, and Emily exclaimed loudly, "Of course we will!" They all exchanged glances before laughing and sharing a tight group hug. Aria looked over her shoulder, watching Kenzie and Andrew from the kitchen table. She couldn't believe that Kenzie would be seven in January and Andrew was in kindergarten. She could remember their firsts so easily; their first words, their first steps, their first days of school. Heck, she could remember the days they were born; Kenzie on January 8th and Andrew on June 21st. They were such good kids and Aria knew that their little brothers would have two great models when they needed them.

_My babies are growing up too fast. Can't they just stop and be my little joys for a little bit longer? _

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra fought to ignore his mother's constant nagging as he led her down the main path into Central Park, "Where are you taking me, Ezra? Ezra, do you need your hearing checked? Why are you wearing that tux? Why are we going into the park at eight at night? Why aren't you answering your mother?"

When he finally heard Daniel's gently strumming of the guitar coming from the direction in front of him, he turned to Sarah and looked her in the eyes, "Me and Danny have a big surprise for you."

"A big surprise? Did you get me a new photo studio? Gosh, Ezra, I know I complain about mine being too small, but you two didn't to-"

"No, Mom." He rolled his dark blue eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, "It's not just for you. It's for you and Dad."

"Me and Isaac?" Sarah sighed, "Ezra, I know you are searching for a new hobby but fixing up me and your dad up on a secret date isn't going to make anything better between us."

A deeper voice came from ahead of them, "So, I can go home and take off this goofy suit then?" Isaac appeared from behind a thick bush, his one-sided smirk blinding against the late evening light, "I thought our boys did pretty darn well."

Sarah looked at Isaac up and down before rolling her eyes and smiling her own blinding grin, "Isaac, you were behind all this?"

The man shook his head, "Daniel dragged me out here a little while ago and then he told me to stay there and hide until I saw you coming. When he called Ezra a bit ago, I heard him say something about everything being ready. Then I smelled Italian food. So, I put two and two together and came up with the fact that the two hopeless romantics we have for sons prepared a romantic dinner in the moonlight for you and I this evening."

Sarah stared wide-eyed at him, her mouth hanging agape, "Our sons did what?" She averted her gaze to Ezra, who was now smiling from ear to ear, "Ezra, you and your brother did all this?"

Daniel stepped out from his hiding place, his guitar in his hands, "We sure did. We wanted to give you two some time together. In a romantic Fitz manner, of course."

Isaac took a few strides so then he could extend his arm to his ex-wife, his smirk widening into a full-blown grin, "Shall we, my lady?"

Sarah shook her head in exasperation but willingly took Isaac's arm, looping hers around and under his, "Let's go do this thing."

**An extremely short chapter but I needed to get updated before all of you on Twitter officially tweeted me to death, begging me to update. And you've got to give the Ezria family what they want!**

**So, I will be updating (I hope) by this weekend before the big episode on Monday. Then I am hoping to update If I Knew Then by tomorrow. I have a lot of it written already. **

**Y'all will be happy to know that I am planning to end this fanfic at about 30-33 chapters, including a two part epilogue, which I am already outlining. And I will make sure that we end on a good note. **

**Wow, this story has turned out way better than I thought it would and I would love to give thanks to, yet again, my wonderful 'unofficial' beta, also known as my Yoda, h8atedit. A fellow writer and spiritual warrior! You rock, girly!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**


	29. As Long As Our Hearts Are Beating

**Story Title- Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 29: As Long As Our Hearts Are Beating**

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned PLL…..Crap, I'm running out of these. **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Ezra pulled back the quilts of his and Aria's bed of their large bedroom, raising an eyebrow at his wife as she did the same on the other side. She returned his gaze with a sad smile. He climbed onto the bed, crawled across it so then he could sit right in front of her. He took her hand in his and gave it a soft kiss.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his, "I can't believe it'll be a year ago tomorrow."

He nodded sadly, caressing the small of her back softly with his gentle hands as if to comfort her, "I know, Ar. It's been a hard trail traveled, but at least we had each other to make it through."

Aria gave him another flash of a half-smile, "You always know the right things to say."

He laid on his back on the bed so then she could climb on top of him, snuggling her head into his chest. He kissed her hair, "It's my job, sweetheart."

Ezra heard her giggle and then sigh, "I still miss him, Ezra. I know we have the twins and I love them to death, but, as much as it kills me to say, they aren't _him. _There will only be one of him and we never even had a chance to meet him."

"In our dreams we did."

"That is true." Aria replied, her voice becoming choked on tears, "Still, though! We still lost him and I lie awake at night trying to imagine his life if we hadn't. What would have been his first words? What would have been his first outfit to wear for the first day of school? What kind of career would he have had? Don't you ever think about that? It's heartbreaking on how much we missed out on."

He sighed deeply. She had a point. He often thought of what his son would have been like. The dreams of him barely kept him sane, "Aria, I think about those things all the time, but I don't tear myself up about it anymore. I want him back as much as you do, but like you said, we have Ashton and Riley to take care of. God gave us this hard experience for a good reason."

Aria smiled into Ezra's chest, "That's what the Chaplin said at his memorial service." She sighed again, taking in a deep shaky breath, "Do you think we are really ready to let him go?'

"Aria," Ezra adjusted himself so then they could both be on the bed, leaning against their pillows. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him, his lips pressed in her soft brunette hair. She laid her head against his shoulder, "the longer we wait to do this, the harder it'll be to let him go in the future."

"I know. It's just going to be so hard to let him go." She peered up at him with tear-filled hazel eyes, "Have I told you how much I love you today?"

Ezra narrowed his dark blue eyes for a moment as if he really had to think about it, "It was inferred." He gave her a tight smile, "I know this is going to be hard for us to do tomorrow, but at least we have each other to lean on." He kissed her forehead softly, "I love you, Aria."

"I love you, too." She closed her eyes and soon her breathing faded into a deep pattern as she fell asleep.

He sighed as he watched her dream, taking a lock of her long hair between his fingers. Tomorrow was going to be the hardest thing that Ezra and Aria ever had to do in their eight years of being married. They were officially saying goodbye to Mason. Mason had said that he only appeared when they wanted to see him and though they loved dreaming and seeing his face, they knew that they had to let go. They had to not move on with their lives, but focus on the positives. Mason was a beautiful angel of God now and he was giving them the choice to let him go or keeping holding on to the past. They couldn't really do that until they were ready.

And tomorrow, on the one year anniversary of losing him, September 21st, was the day they, Ezra and Aria, decided would be the day.

* * *

><p><em>The meadow was dead silent as Ezra awoke and quickly sat up, his back covered in dirt and dead grass. He looked beside him and as always, Mason was right there. His son's dark brown curly hair covered his hazel eyes, but even he could see the tears welling up at the corners.<em>

_There was silence between them before Mason finally spoke, "Are you sure that you and Mommy are ready for this tomorrow, Daddy? I don't want you to feel like you have to do this until you are ready. One year almost seems too soon."_

_Ezra sighed deeply, "I'll tell you what I told Mommy. The longer we hold on, the harder it will be to let go. We don't want to, but Mason, you know it's the right thing to do."_

_His son nodded sadly, "I'm gonna miss spending time with you guys. I just like having the chance to talk to you and spend time with you. Once you do this," His voice shook, "I'll be all alone again. All my family will be on Earth and I'll still be here."_

"_Mason, come here." He plopped the small child onto his lap, wrapping his arms around his tiny frame and he hugged him close. He pressed his face into Mason's dark brown curly hair and murmured, "We love you. Never forget that. We're never going to forget you. How could we? You are probably the sweetest little boy we have ever…met. Besides, you aren't alone. You have my Nana up there with you and I know there are tons of older people to look after you. Okay? I know you're going to be alright."_

"_But, Daddy, are you going to be alright?"_

_Ezra blinked away some tears from his blue eyes, "I don't think I can give you answer on that one yet, pal." He sighed deeply again as did Mason, "Let's just enjoy this last time we have together. I don't want to put it to waste."_

_Mason nodded and leapt off of his father's lap, giving him half of a smile, "Well, you can at least play baseball with me once."_

_Ezra returned his smile, "You're on, squirt."_

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

_Aria took a deep breath before pushing herself through the woods at the edge of the meadow. She saw Mason standing there, waiting for her with a bright smile. He gave her a tiny wave and called out, "Mommy!" He ran towards her and she caught her son in her arms, hugging him closer to her body._

"_Hi, Mommy." Mason murmured beneath the cover of the hair draping over his mother's shoulders._

"_Hey there, Mason. Did you already see Daddy?"Aria pulled away from her son and put him back on the ground so then she could kneel in front of him, ruffling up his already messy hair._

_Mason nodded, "He just left." He looked at her with those wide hazel eyes of his, "Mommy, are you ready to say goodbye to me tomorrow?"_

_Aria sighed and shook her head, "I don't think I'll ever be ready to say goodbye to you, sweetheart. But tomorrow is as good as any."_

_He sighed as well and wrapped his mother up into a hug, "No matter how far away I may seem to be, I am _always _watching over you, Daddy, and my brothers and sister. You may say goodbye tomorrow, but I will never leave you guys. I'll always be at your side even if it may seem like I am gone." _

_Tears welled up in Aria's eyes and she buried her face into her son's hair, "I am so sorry that this had to happen to you. You missed out on so much-"_

_He interrupted her with a sly grin, "I'm not sorry that this happened, Mommy. I love it up in heaven. It's so warm and beautiful. Even though I get lost sometimes because it is just so big." They both shared a laugh before Mason continued, "I may have not been able to physically meet you, but I will always cherish the moments that we had together in your dreaming."_

"_So am I, Mason." Aria wiped away some rolling tears from her cheeks and then wiped the ones from the corners of Mason's eyes, a sad and wobbly smile making it's away across her lips, "I love you, baby boy. You'll always be my little Mason Carter."_

_Mason wrapped his tiny arms around his mother's neck and gave her a big fat kiss on her tear-stained cheek, "I love you, too. No matter where I am or wherever I go, you'll always be my one and only Mommy."_

* * *

><p>Hanna and Spencer huddled nearby just in case that Aria needed emotional support as the mother of four laid a fresh bouquet of flowers on Mason's grave. Emily stood behind, holding the hands of Andrew and McKenzie as they waited for their turn to step forward. Isaac and Sarah watched from their places, their hands interlocked. Maggie held Sarah's other hand, one of her thumbs in her mouth.<p>

Ezra took a deep breath and after giving Aria's hand a small squeeze, he finally spoke, "Thank you for coming to support us on this day of remembering the loss of our lost son, Mason." His voice was strong, but Aria knew that he was just seconds from breaking, "He was going to be a son, a little brother, a grandchild, and a cousin. There are days I lie awake at night and think about how much he missed out as well as how much all of us missed out when he was taken away from us a year ago today. He would have been a bright light in a very dark world." He motioned for McKenzie to step forward, "Kenzie and Andy would like to say a few words."

His daughter stepped away from Emily and took Andy's hand as they approached their parents. Both of them held a piece of paper in their grasps. Kenzie began to speak first, "I don't completely understand why Mason never came home. I know he died, but I don't know why. Some nights he would come to me in my dreams and try to explain to me what happened. It made me really sad when I had to wake up and leave him." She began to sniffle and Aria's heart shattered as she watched her six year old daughter fighting off tears from falling from her eyes, "All I want to say is that I miss Mason."

Her mother held out her arms to her and Kenzie instantly ran into them. The little girl nestled her young face into the crook of Aria's neck and she stroke the six year old's curly brown hair, murmuring comforting words to her.

Andrew exchanged a glance with Ezra and after an approving nod, he started to speak, "I don't like saying very much. But like my big sister, I miss Mason. He came to me in my dreams too. All I can really say about him is that he is awesome and it really stinks that we never got to meet him."

Aria handed Kenzie off to Ezra, giving her daughter one last kiss on top of the head before letting go of her husband's hand and slowly stepping forward. She lifted her face up to the gloomy gray sky and softly said, "There isn't a day where I don't miss Mason. He was supposed to be my last baby. My youngest son. I never thought that there was any possibility that I would ever lose one of my children and now that I have, I know what thousands of other families have gone through. It's been a very long year without him. But, luckily, me and Ezra were blessed with two twin boys this past summer. They helped me to stop feeling so guilty about losing Mason." She glanced at Ezra with a wobbly smile, "Ezra has been amazing this past year. In the months following Mason's loss, he dealt with his own grief as well as trying to help me. He is the greatest man I have ever met in my life and I'll love him until the day I die." Aria sighed and knelt down to run her hand down the cool stone of Mason's gravestone, "There will never be anyone who could ever replace Mason. He is an original and a true original will never have a copy." She lifted her face up to the again, closing her eyes, whispering so only she could hear her words, "Mason, I love you. Forever and always. I will love until the day that my heart stops beating."

As a breeze started to blow, a familiar voice swept pass her ear, breathing in, _"I love you, too, Mommy."_ She snuck a glance beside her and saw Mason's hazel eyes staring back at her. He gave her one last smile and wave, _"I'll never leave you."_

With a blink of her eyes, her son was gone and a faded image took his place. He was a creamy white and had long, dark hair draping over his shoulders. His blue eyes were lighter than Ezra's and almost warmer. His voice was sweet like honey as he murmured, "_He'll be well taken care of, Aria. Do not fret for his safety. Where we call home is always safe. He'll be in the care of loving and nurturing angels. We're always watching over you."_

Aria didn't even have a chance to say anything because with another blink of her eyes, the man was gone. And so was Mason. Because she had truly said goodbye to him.

**Is anyone else crying? I am wiping tears away from my eyes right now. Man, this was a hard chapter to write. **

**So here is the game plan. There are 4-5 chapters left for Double Infinity. Then there are the epilogues I am itching to finally type up. Please don't cry about the end coming. I am going to stretch the updates out so then we can end the day that it'll be one year that the first chapter of A Romance to Last a Lifetime was posted. So, we have until March 06****th****. You and I both know that it had to end eventually right? **

**Double Infinity has been a huge success since the very first chapter was posted and I have to give a lot of credit to my 'unofficial beta', or as I call her "Yoda", h8atedit. She has been a huge help and I could not express my thanks for her more. She is a fellow writer as well as a fellow spiritual warrior. I love you, girly!**

**My favorite part about writing this story is definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys review, PM, tweet, and send me messages on Tumblr. That all makes me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop nine months ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.**

**Enjoy 217 tonight! I know Twitter is going crazy and I am, too! Ezria in the rain? YES PLEASE! **

**Update of If I Knew Then should be up by Thursday. See you guys then!**


	30. For My Readers

**Okay. Don't get too excited because this is just an author's note. I know you guys have been waiting for an update and I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long. The reasons I haven't updated are really hard for me to say because I really wanted to bring more than one more chapter before I post the epilogues. **

**Yes you read that correctly. I feel like only more chapter for Double Infinity is necessary because after what down in the last chapter, it really brought the story near the end. I had planned on 30-35 chapters, plus the epilogues, so I am pretty close to what I had estimated. Plus, if I were to drag on the story, it'd grow dull and boring and I don't want you guys to have to read it if its going no where. **

**I promised 4-5 more chapters and it breaks my heart to say that I am going to write only one more. I love writing it and I know y'all love reading it. However, this story has been going on for almost a year now. I posted March 06th and I think after all the feedback I have gotten, it's been a pretty big success. And I have so many other fanfics I have planned to write. I am itching to write them. **

**Romance to Last a Lifetime and Double Infinity have been my two most successful fanfics and I hate to see them end. I really hope you guys understand. I wanted to tell you like this instead of posting the last chapter and then just saying IT'S OVER. **

**The last chapter should be up by Monday or Tuesday. Then more information is to come about the two part epilogue. A new chapter If I Knew Then will be posted by mid-week as well.  
><strong>

**I'm sorry again you guys and I hope y'all understand. Feel free to comment in the reviews if you want anything specific to happen in the last chapter; I am taking ideas before posting even though I have my own and I'll do my best to work them into the story. Expect a very long last chapter as well. **

**Okay. That's all. Thank you for reading. **


	31. When You've Got a Good Thing

**Story Title- Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity**

**Chapter 31: When You've Got a Good Thing **

**Summary: Sequel to Ezra and Aria: A Romance to Last a Lifetime. Ezra and Aria have been living in New York for six years with their children and their dog. What happens when something throws a wrench into their nearly perfect lives?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PLL and I never will, but if I did, Ezria would have a romantic proposal, an extraordinary wedding, and an unbelievable honeymoon. Plus a couple of kids running around. You know, this is if Marlene and the other writers would let me help with a spin-off Ezria movie. **

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

The cool winter sun poured through the curtains of the large bedroom and Ezra blinked against the light, his blue eyes squinted. He stretched, his muscles flexing under the surface of his skin, some of his joints cracking. He looked over to see Aria watching him, her face soft in the morning light. He gave her a wide smile and leaned over to kiss her forehead, "Mmm, good morning, beautiful."

She lit up the room with her own grin and shoved some of the loose curls out of his eyes, "Good morning to you, too, sleepy head. I was wondering when you were going to wake up. Though I must say that watching you sleep is very entertaining with all of your laughing and mumbling."

"I'm glad you were entertained, Little Miss Snores A Lot." He teasingly said, brushing a loose lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I told you before that I don't snore!" She exclaimed.

"Oh sure you don't." He chuckled before continuing, "Well, I'm awake at last and looking at a woman who is so beautiful, she makes me think I'm still dreaming."

She shook her head with a warm twinkle her hazel eyes, their previous teasing forgotten, "You are such a cheesy romantic sometimes." She leaned over to place a small kiss on his nose, "Maybe that's one of the _many _reasons why I love you so damn much."

He chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to his wife's lips before swinging his legs around to the edge of the bed and slowly rising to his feet. He exhaled a deep breath, "I'll go get the kids up."

Aria also stood, meeting Ezra at the doorway of their bedroom, her arms entwining around his waist, wrapping him in a tight hug, "Don't forget that you're supposed to be going to breakfast with your dad today. He wanted to talk to you while we're still town before we leave for Rosewood tomorrow."

Ezra nodded, his blue eyes soft, his hand caressing the small of his wife's back, "I know. And Star wanted to come over today to give the kids some Christmas presents." He shook his head in good humor, "I swear if she got them a Nerf gun to shoot me with…."

"She didn't have to get them anything."

"When I tried to talk her out of it, she said she already bought them all something." He shrugged, a smile pulling at the corners of his soft pink lips, "She may get on my last nerve sometimes with her sarcastic comments, but she is a great mentor and friend. Plus, she provided me with an amazing assistant so then I have more time to spend with my family and this little gal in my arms."

"Is this little gal about 5'2? Does she have greenish hazel eyes, long brunette hair and lips ready to be kissed by her incredibly sexy husband?" She raised her head from his chest and one of her eyebrows rose, teasing him immensely.

"You missed the breathtakingly beautiful part." He cracked a wide smile and leaned down to press his lips to hers for a short moment, his hand caressing her face, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw.

When they broke apart, Aria pressed a small kiss to his stubby cheek which was covered in five o' clock shadow, "We better be off then. I have to clean the house before we leave tomorrow. And Star is coming over today."

"I didn't realize that we were getting graded on how clean our home is." Ezra chuckled and when he received a glare from his wife, he just laughed harder, "I'm just kidding, sweetheart. No need to be so touchy."

"Hmm, that may just cost you some alone time this weekend." She stubbornly said, crossing her arms across her chest and turning her chin up him.

He sighed and bent down on his knees a tiny bit so then he and Aria could be eye to eye. She playfully didn't meet her husband's gaze and he only tried harder, pulling on gently on one of her hands, clasping it in his own, giving the top of it a smooch, his eyes pleading for mock forgiveness.

Aria rolled her own eyes and shook her head, "You know I can't resist those puppy dog eyes. Andrew and Kenzie use them all the time on me. Now I know where they get it from." She finally forgave his sarcastic comment and ruffled his messy dark brown curls before giving him a hug, her arms wrapping up and around his, pinning his larger body to her much smaller one.

He kissed her forehead, murmuring against her skin, "Ashton and Riley are going to need to get up."

She smiled up at him, "I'll let you get them up then. I better go hop in the show." She wrinkled her nose teasingly, "I smell like sweat and Axe cologne of a thirty-two year old guy."

He pulled out of her grasp, eyebrows raised in surprise, "I thought you loved my special kind of smell."

"Not when people are coming over." Aria laughed, ruffling his messy hair again, "Now, go get the kids up and let Snoopy out. Aria needs some privacy to keep herself looking sexy for her number one guy."

"And this guy would be?"

She shoved him toward the room's door, "He's a bit goofy. He has this really weird curly hair. He has this boyish smile that makes me faint. He also rented a limo for our first public date." Aria shook her head in teasing love, "He got me pregnant with our first child when I was eighteen on the night of my graduation after a messy meal at Pizza Hut. He proposed to me the morning after the first time we had sex. He's the father of my daughter and my three sons. He works at Columbia University. He's all around an amazing guy." She winked at him, a faint blush grazing her cheeks, "His name is Ezra David Fitz. You may or may not know him."

Ezra backed out of the bedroom, his boyish grin pulling at the corners of his lips, "I'd like to meet him. Whoever he is, he's got to be pretty lucky to share a bed with you every day and night and call you the love of his life." His eyes were still planted on her, the twinkling indigo depths smoldering love and affection before turning and heading to Ashton and Riley's bedroom, thinking to himself with a wide smirk on his face, _How did I get so damn lucky?_

_Everybody keeps telling me I'm such a lucky man  
>Looking at you standing there I know I am<br>Barefooted beauty with eyes that blue  
>The sun shine sure looks good on you<em>

Kenzie bounced around the living room anxiously, her curly dark brown hair springing in little spirals at the sides of her face, "Mommy, I'm getting tired of waiting! When is Auntie Star going to be here?"

Aria lifted her head to look at her daughter from where she sat on the floor, playing with Ashton and Riley, a ton of baby toys scattered across the floor. Andrew was curled up beside her, a pencil in hand as he sketched down a picture. He watched his older sister with narrowed blue eyes, "Would you please calm down? How am I supposed to draw with you pacing around like that?"

"Shut up, Andy."

"Are you going to make me, shortie?' The five year old shot back.

"Easy, you two." The mother of four laughed and finally answered Kenzie while pushing a small stuffed duck into Ashton's tiny hands. He hugged it to his body and gave a small baby laugh, causing Aria to roll of her own little giggle as well, "She called fifteen minutes ago and she was just leaving her office at campus. It's a five minute drive or a ten minute walk from Columbia to our house. So, she should be here between the next five or ten minutes."

Kenzie sighed in impatience, but slowly nodded, her small shoulders sagging, "Okay." Curiosity took over her facial expression and she met her mother's eyes, "Where did Daddy go? Doesn't he want to see Auntie Star too?"

"They see enough of one another during the week. Plus, your father can only take so much sarcasm from Vice President Extraordinaire." Aria smiled teasingly, "Grandpa Isaac had to talk to him before we go to Rosewood tomorrow for Christmas, so they went out to breakfast together."

Andrew lifted his gaze from his drawing, curly locks of his hair falling over the sapphire orbs, "What did Poppy have to talk to him about?"

She thought for a moment and shrugged, "I don't exactly know. It must be pretty important, though, because Poppy usually doesn't eat breakfast."

Kenzie's eyes widened and she quickly protested, her voice high and shrill, "I thought you said that breakfast was the most important meal the day! If we have to eat breakfast, why doesn't Grandpa have to?"

Aria laughed, "It is just because your grandfather is a stubborn old man." With a glance at both of her older children and another teasing smile, "It must run in the Fitz family tree."

"I'm not stubborn!" Both of them called out at the same time.

Before she could answer their protests, there was a light knock from the front door. Kenzie ran to it and from where she sat, Aria heard her daughter's overly welcoming tone hinted with a mix of excitement and adoration, "You're here!"

'Of course I am, goofball." Star's voice announced, "You really didn't think I'd miss you guys before you head to Rosewood, did you? What lies is your father feeding you now?"

"Hey, Star. Come on in." Aria called out to her friend while wiping a strand of drool from Riley's chin. The six month old baby giggled and looked at his mother with a wide grin, the hazel depths in his eyes glistening with warmth. She leaned down to kiss his forehead, her lips

McKenzie led the VP of Columbia into the living room where the rest of them gathered. Star's spirally curls glistened with new snow, white flecks bright against her dark hair. Her square rimmed glasses slid down her nose. She held two bags which were filled with Christmas presents. She smiled, her white teeth flashing against her mocha brown skin, "Star the Elf is here at last!" She shook the precipitation from her hair, "The snow is coming down hard right now. I hate driving as it is; let alone with other people who can't drive in this kind of weather."

"You were careful right?" Aria asked, a smirk flashing on her lips.

"No pedestrians were harmed in the making of Star Maple's new movie: Why I Hate Winter Roads."

Andrew waved at her, "Hi, Auntie Star!" He narrowed his eyes as he ogled at the bags in her hands, "What is all that?"

She laughed softly and sat on the floor beside the five year old, ruffling his hair gently with her fingers, "Well, I thought I'd get each of you kids something for the holidays." Star glanced at Aria quickly, "And before you protest, I got you and Ezra a little something too. It didn't cost me a penny, either." She handed her an envelope from one of the two bags holding the Christmas gifts and then proceeded to fetch the rest for all four children.

Aria opened the envelope, opening it with one fluid slice of her finger. Within it held five pieces of notebook paper clipped together. She laughed when she took them out and read them, "'This is a coupon for one free babysitting. Star Maple approved.' I love this! Thank you."

Star shrugged, "It wasn't that hard. It was that or a Nerf gun for you to shoot Ezra with when you get mad at him. Unfortunately, it wasn't on sale when I went to get it. Otherwise, I would have bought it." They both laughed and the VP took Ashton in her arms, burying her face into his curly hair while he nestled his head against her shoulder, "I love spending time with these four little angels that you and Ezra call your children. I'd be happy to babysit them anytime that you two need some alone time together."

"That is so sweet of you. Thank you."

Before either of them could say any more, Andrew pushed himself to his feet and twined his skinny arms around Star's neck and clung to her, "Thank you!" Beside torn up wrapping paper was a collector's edition of a drawing kit. It was Artist's Approved. It was top line, state-of-the-art, just downright amazing, especially for such a dedicated scrawler like Andrew.

"You're welcome, little dude." Star said with a bright smile, "I'm glad you like it."

Kenzie looked up from her own Christmas present, her blue eyes wide and her mouth agape in shock, "An autographed copy of my favorite book by Jonathan Rand? This was the first one of the _Chiller _series that he ever published!"

Star nodded, "Your mommy told me to call some bookstore in Michigan and I talked to the author himself. He could not believe that a six year old read his books. After all , they are pretty scary." She chuckled, "He sent me that one and a couple others."

"Which ones?"

"Well, the whole collection. Ezra told me that you only got them from the library at your school."

Kenzie's eyes grew even wider and she rushed over to Star, her eyes glimmering, "Thank you so much, Auntie Star!"

"It was my pleasure, sweetheart." Star kissed the six year old's soft brown curls.

Aria shook her head, "You really didn't have to go through all that trouble."

The vice president shook her head stubbornly, "No, Aria, I didn't _have _to." She glanced at Ashton and Riley, watching them play with their presents that she had bought them; some stuffed animals and teething toys, "You and Ezra are so blessed to have these four children in your lives. And now that they are in mine, it only makes sense that I shower them with love and spoil them with gifts."

"Well it is very much appreciated." Aria looked at her friend, curiosity in her eyes, "Have you ever been to the Caribbean?"

"No, I haven't, though I'd sure like to. I've never had the time." She sighed and then asked, "Why do you ask?"

She rifled through her pocket and pulled out an envelope, "Ezra and I thought that you might enjoy a vacation that wasn't just you holing up at home with a TV dinner and a movie." She handed her friend the envelope, biting her bottom lip, forcing herself not to flash a mischievous smile.

Star sliced open the envelope and pulled out two tickets: one for a plane ticket to Miami and the other for a tropical cruise that went to the Bahamas for two weeks. Her eyes widened and she stared wild-eyed at both of the tickets, her eyes aghast, "A cruise? How in the heck did you get these tickets so late in the season?"

"Ezra has some pretty good connections. Plus, his dad was a long-term member of the cruise line when he was a lawyer. He's got friends in high places and I thought you'd enjoy a break from work. Ezra can handle the university for two weeks without you. He has an assistant and Nick is coming back to visit New York in January to pick up some of his old stuff. He'll be in the city for a few days, so he'll be able to help him out-"

"So, when should I pack?" Star interrupted with a laugh, "I really value this as a true gift." She paused for a moment, "Don't tell Ezra I said that. I can't let him believe that I actually liked what he got me. I won't let him have the satisfaction."

Aria nodded with a giggle, "We have a deal." Her phone buzzed from inside of her jean pocket and she took it out, glancing at who texted her. She smiled as she read _Ezra. _

Kenzie pulled on Star's shirt, "Can you read to me and Andy? He's never had a chance to read _Mayhem on Mackinac Island_!"

Star took the book from her, pushed herself up from the floor and went over to the couch, pushing up her glasses to prevent them from sliding down her nose, "Okay, okay. I'll read to you two." She met Aria's gaze and rolled her eyes as the two children climbed up beside her, their young blue eyes shining with curiosity and wonder.

Aria smiled at her children so eager to hear Star read to them and then turned her attention back to her text from her husband:

_Just arrived at the restaurant. Waiting for Dad to show up. _

_May do some writing of a certain short story about a certain young woman ;)_

_~Ez_

She bit her bottom lip. He was always writing some kind of short story or poetry that had some kind of connection to her. He hardly ever shared them with her though. He said that they were his to cherish and hers to be honored and humbled by. She didn't mind though. Just the thought of him writing about her and the love he has for her was romantic enough. She loved him and every single part of him more than anything.

She watched as Kenzie and Andy listened to Star read to them and then she turned her gaze over to the twins sitting on the floor around her. Ashton met her eyes and gave her an adorable toothless baby smile, drooling dripping down his chubby chin.

Aria knew that she and Ezra married young and started a family early; she had McKenzie when she was only nineteen and then Andrew after she just turned twenty-one. They lost Mason just four short years later and that was the hardest thing that they ever had to go through as a family. But only thirteen and a half months later, they were all blessed with Ashton and Riley.

Sure, sometimes, she wondered what would've happened if she and Ezra hadn't met all those years ago at Snookers Bar and Grille. What would have happened if he hadn't decided to fight for her and she fight for him. They knew from the beginning that it was going to be hard for them to be together, from finding out that they would be teacher/student to when they told her parents about them. They fought through it all, though; through the complications, secrecy, fear, temptations, and all around crap that they had to deal with in the early years of their romance, they stuck together like glue, drawing closer through all of it. That's what true love is right?

Well, no matter what other people thought about their relationship all those years ago, it was perfect now. Or as close to perfect as a relationship could be. They fought and argued all the time, but they always knew that they loved one another. That's what being in love feels like. That's what a marriage is. _That's what being a family is. _

And Aria wouldn't ever change one thing about her relationship with Ezra. _Not one thing._

_Oh I can't believe I finally found you baby  
>Happy ever after, after all this time<br>Oh there's gonna be some ups and downs  
>but with you to wrap my arms around<br>I'm fine_

Ezra drummed his fingers against the table impatiently as he sat and waited for his dad to arrive. A fruit salad and a fresh cup of coffee sat in front of him. He glanced at the watch on his right wrist, cursing his father in his head. Isaac was hardly ever late; he ran on a military clock. He had wanted to speak to him so badly and then he doesn't even both to show up on time.

He paused and thought for a moment, calming a bit, _Then again, the roads are absolutely treacherous. Hopefully, he'll be here soon. _He sighed, _I hope the roads are cleared up by tomorrow. I hate driving on icy and snowy roads as it is. I'm gonna have some very previous cargo riding with me. _

As he waited for Isaac to arrive, he withdrew his worn-out journal, which was overflowing with poems and short stories, from his leather satchel hanging from the back of his cushioned chair. He flipped to a clean page and began to scribble down a short entry about Aria, like he always did, almost every day.

_Time is more than I can ask for. I look at her and I know that she is the one I'm meant to be with all over again. Her eyes are so warm and they encase me in such embrace that I never want to be freed from it. Her hair falls in a beautiful and mystic waterfall all around her face and over her shoulders. The temptation to run my hand through the long locks is always too much to contain and I give in without hesitation. _

Ezra paused for a moment, his pen fluttering lightly over the paper underneath his hand. A soft smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he remembered the first time that he ever laid his eyes on Aria. Her beauty was just as breathtaking in 2010 just as it was in the present day.

"_Are you alright down there?" Ezra picked his head up from where he read an old novel. He tried not to stare. The young woman sitting two seats down from him was the most beautiful female he had ever laid eyes on. Her hair fell in a dark brunette mess around her shoulders. Her eyes burned a flaming hazel. They met his immediately and soon he was blinded from amazingly white pearly teeth. He was stunned, like a deer in front of headlights. _

"_I'm a bit jetlagged. I just got back from Europe."Her voice was a like a gentle ringing in the smoke-filled air of the old bar. _

_Ezra's curiosity intensified as he heard her response. He'd spent a couple of months in Europe on his year abroad through Hollis College, where he just graduated from. This girl had to be a college student right?, "Where in Europe?"_

"_Iceland."_

"_I spent some time in Reykjavik on my way Amsterdam. It's a great city."_

_She smiled ever so slightly, biting her bottom lip as she looked at him up and down, "So, do you go to Hollis?"_

_He returned the smile with one of his own taking a place on his soft lips, "Just graduated. I'm about to start my first teaching job."_

"_I think I'd like to teach."The girl responded, her grin widening as their conversation progressed. There was a pause between the two of them and when a familiar began to play on the jukebox and streamed a beautiful melody. Then Isaac Slade, the lead singer of one of Ezra's favorite bands, _The Fray, _began to sing. He smiled softly. He recognized the song immediately from their first album._

_She must have recognized it as well because she softly said, "I love this song."_

_Wanting to make a bit of an impression with her, he licked his bottom lip and nodded, "B-26." Their gazes shot up to meet again, one grin reflecting another and he could not stop staring at how amazingly beautiful those hazel orbs of her eyes were. They drowned him like the current of a lake or river, dragging him under until he couldn't breathe any longer. Finally he grabbed onto a life preserver and pulled himself back to the surface, gasping for air. "So, what's your major?"_

_She hesitated for moment before hurriedly replying, "Well, I'm thinking about majoring in English."_

"_That's what I'm teaching."_

_Another incredibly wide smirk graced her already stunning face and she added to her previous statement, "Well, I write, too. But so far it's mostly personal. Just for me."_

_Ezra slightly nodded in understanding, "I'm impressed."He was a striving author himself. He only had a few online entries to his name and he wished a publisher would just give him a chance already._

_The girl asked with a tiny giggly tone to the edge of her voice, "Why?"_

_He shrugged and simply replied as he moved from his seat to the cool empty bar stool that sat right beside hers, his body facing hers completely, "Well, I tried writing. I didn't get very far. You're lucky. If you're writing for yourself, it's pure passion." He had his eyes linger on her mouth before meeting her gaze again, "Maybe you'd let me read some of yours?"_

"_You really want to?"_

_"Yeah." He said with a warm tone to his voice, "You're smart, you've travelled." He glanced up at the speakers of the pub that was still pouring out the lyrics to Happiness, "Great taste in music!" He paused before continuing, his gaze resting affectionately on her face, "I'd like to know more about you."_

_She bit her bottom lip before responding, "Yeah. I'd like to know more about you, too."_

Ezra took a deep breath as he remembered the day he and Aria met. It seemed so long ago, yet so familiar that it felt like yesterday. Little did they know that their makeout session in Snooker's ladies restroom would lead to all the drama, tears, and frustration they had to endure the very next day. Only when they were together in the early days of their relationship did they actually feel like they were meant to be. Now, after being married for all these years, it seemed so juvenile with what they had to go through, but Ezra knew that very much worth all of the trouble.

He continued to scribble down a few sentences, his dark blue eyes narrowed with concentration.

_I don't what I did to deserve such an amazing woman. She could have chosen anyone else, but she picked me. She loves me for my attributes. She loves me for my faults. She loves me on my best days and she loves me for my worst. She has loved me regardless of all the obstacles that we have faced in our eleven years being together. She is one in a million and I plan to cherish every moment I have with her for the rest of my life._

"My son is such a cheesy pile of mush." Ezra's head shot up as soon as he heard his father's voice from behind him. Isaac laughed and patted his shoulder comfortingly, "Sorry, I'm late, kiddo. I had to call Sarah to watch Maggie. Plus, the roads are just awful."

"No, it's fine." With a faint blush staining his cheeks scarlet, he flipped his journal shut and put it back in its place in his bag. He crossed his arm across his chest as he watched Isaac sit in the chair across the table from him, "Is Mom still trying to adopt her? How far are you in the process?"

"All we need now is Jackie's consent and her signature." He paused, lips pursed as he thought for a moment, "You know, your mother is a very forgiving woman. More than I thought she would be. I mean, after all the hell I put her through in our marriage, I wouldn't have blamed her if she said she'd never want to see me again."

"She did, though. If you recall."

Isaac laughed and nodded, "That is true. That was after she found about how I was treating you." His eyes softened, "I am still sorry about, Ezra. I never had any right to do any of that to you. To lay a hand on a child is unforgivable. I know that now. I was really stupid."

"Dad, I told that I'm over it. I've been over it ever since you let me kick your ass at my bachelor party the day before the wedding." Ezra sighed, "I know we can't change the past, but we can at least the future nice and bright for the rest of the time we have left. After all, you're not getting any younger."

"Thanks, Ez. Thanks a lot. I know I'm pushing fifty, but I'm eating my veggies and drinking my milk. I should be around a while longer."

"I'm sure you will be." The father and son shared a laugh and Ezra took a moment to reflect on how much stronger their relationship had become ever since Aria stepped in to help. Before Isaac met Aria, Ezra had absolutely nothing to do with his father. He had only communicated with Sarah and Daniel. Now, look at them: sharing a cup of coffee and talking like nothing ever went wrong.

A vibration came from his pocket and Isaac laughed as Ezra jumped at the sound, "Is that your girl?"

His son took it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. He nodded as he read his wife's name, "She just sent me a text."

"Tell her hello for me when you reply."

"Will do." Ezra opened the text and read it with a grin:

_Hey there sexy!_

_Star just left and I'm getting the twins ready for a nap._

_Kenzie and Andy are in their rooms, reading and drawing._

_If they're occupied, maybe we could make a memory. ;)_

_XOXO Aria_

Isaac watched his son's facial expressions with narrowed eyes, "You're blushing. You hardly ever blush." He leaned over, one of his eyebrows raised, "What'd she say?"

"Nothing. Just some…._private _stuff." Ezra eyed his father, hiding the screen from him.

"Oh, alright, if you say so." Isaac laughed and motioned their server over so then he would be able to order his meal, "I'll get the club sandwich with extra tomato. Hold the turkey, please. And a side order of fries."

Shaking his head in amusement at the order, Ezra quickly typed a reply to his wife:

_I'd love to. _

_Be there by one._

_I love you._

_You know you keep on bringing out the best of me  
>And I need you now even more than the air I breathe<em>

Ella cradled Ashton in one of her arms, her face soft and affectionate as she gazed at her grandson, "This baby boy is the most adorable infant I have ever seen in my life." She glanced at Riley sitting in Mike's lap with a laugh, "Riley is right up there tied with him."

Aria laughed and curled up closer to Ezra, her head resting on his chest. A cup of tea sat in one of her hands; the other caressed Ezra's knee. She felt his sweet breath on her hair, his free hand playing with one of the locks. He pressed a tiny kiss to each individual strand.

The drive down to Rosewood had been hell. Either one of the babies was crying or Kenzie and Andrew would get in some kind of an argument. Aria had to ask Ezra to pull over at rest stops more than once and it only exhausted the both of them. Luckily, the roads had been cleared just in time, so they were to get to her parents' house before they had planned to. Now, the two older kids were outside playing the snow with Byron and Snoopy. Mike and his girlfriend, Natasha Kahn, were doting over Riley while Ella kept cooing at Ashton.

Aria murmured into Ezra's ear, "Do you think we'll ever be able to go back to New York now that they've met the boys?"

He shook his head, his boyish smile pulling at the corners of his lips, threatening to spread across his entire face, "I highly doubt it."

Natasha glanced at him and Aria then back at Mike, "How strange is it for you to have your old English teacher as your brother-in-law?"

Her boyfriend kissed her temple with a warm chuckle, eyes resting on his sister and her husband, "It was a bit strange at first, but I'm used to it now. After all, I highly doubt that if I wasn't, I wouldn't be holding Riley right now." He looked at his brother-in-law straight in the eyes, "Am I right?"

Ezra nodded, "That's right. And trust me, it was all a bit odd at first, but, "He leaned down to press his lips against Aria's forehead, "we've all adjusted. I'm sure you will too."

"I have adjusted. It's just still a bit odd." Natasha giggled, "I always thought that there was something up between you two. I was only a freshman in high school then, but I was still _very _observant. Especially when Aria only ever seemed to be the one you would talk to after class. And how Aria always seemed to be in your classroom talking to you between classes." She shook her head, "I just thought that it was just because Ella worked at Rosewood and you two were friends. I didn't really know about the romantic aspect until I saw you two together after graduation."

Aria shrugged, "We really weren't that secretive near the end of keeping our relationship a secret. It eventually became very obvious, but by that point, it was time for me to get my diploma, so we didn't really care."

Ella adjusted Ashton in her grasp, "It really doesn't anymore, does it? I mean, you two have jumped over so many obstacles in the past eleven years, it's kind of hard to imagine what would have happened if you hadn't stayed together through it all." She glanced at the sleeping six month old in her arms, gaze soft and grin present, "If you hadn't, we wouldn't have your four amazing angels-I mean _children_-in our lives. It's just very hard to wrap my head around sometimes." She sighed happily and turned her attention back to her daughter, "You two may not have had the most _ethical _relationship when it first started out, but it has grown into something way bigger now. You two are grown adults with a family, careers, and a house of your own."

Mike rolled his eyes in their direction, "Here we go again. Guys, she never shuts up about this. 'Ezra and Aria blah this blah that.' It's like please shut the hell up! You have another kid besides your daughter that you see walk on-"

"Michelangelo!"

Natasha snickered and Mike's cheeks stained deep red, "Mom, I'm sorry!"

Ezra and Aria both laughed before Ella continued, "I can't imagine you two without one another. You may have not had my approval since the beginning but you sure do have it now. It's not 2012 anymore. It's about time that we just enjoy the time that we have left together here on Earth; one big happy family."

Her son-in-law nodded respectfully in agreement, "Exactly, Ella. Time here in this life is too short to waste. Much too short." As he said this, his eyes met Aria's and he kissed her softly, his arm coming around her small frame, pinning him to her. The kiss only lasted a millisecond, but it meant more than what words could be said between them.

_You can make me laugh when I wanna cry  
>This will last forever I just know, I know<br>_

* * *

><p>Aria stepped outside, gloves encasing her hands and a heavy winter coat hanging from her shoulders. Ezra sat on the porch swing. He glanced up at her and opened up his arms to her, "I thought I'd give your dad a break." He gestured to their two oldest children playing in the front yard in the snow, "They are a handful."<p>

"Mhmm. That's why they're your kids." She laughed and curled up beside him on the swing, breathing in his familiar smell and sighing into him, feeling safe and warm in his arms like she always did.

"My kids, eh?" He chuckled in response, "Funny, I don't remember being the one giving birth to them."

"But how did I get pregnant?"

They shared a small laugh and snuggled closer to one another. Ezra buried his face into her winter hat with a small grin, "This is going to be a fun and relaxing weekend. Me, you, the kids, Snoops, and your side of the family for once instead of mine." He paused, "That Natasha is an inquisitive one. I didn't expect all those questions or comment on our relationship."

"I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it, Ezra. She's only Mike's age; twenty-three is pretty young to grasp all of the stuff that we had to go through to be together."

Ezra sighed, but nodded, "That is true. I'm just glad that your little brother has finally found a nice girl. When he was at Hollis with all his partying, I was a bit worried." He glanced up at the sky and then laughed.

Aria looked at him in confusion, "What's so funny?"

He shrugged, "I remember a few years ago when we came down here for Thanksgiving. Andy was only five months old and Kenzie was a toddler. We came out here on the porch just like we did tonight. And I still think about that conversation we had." She nodded as she remembered that conversation. It felt like almost yesterday.

_After they closed the door and sat on the front porch swing, entangled with one another, looking out on the street, the November moon dancing across the frost covered lawn. Aria looked up at her husband who had his eyes closed as if he was savoring the moment he had alone with her, "Ezra?"_

_"Mhmm?" His eyes remained closed but a smile curved at the corner of his lips at the sound of his name coming from her lips._

_She reached up her hand so she could stroke his cheek, "I love you."_

_He finally opened his blue eyes and blinked back at her, his boyish smile flashing back at her, "So I've heard." He rubbed her shoulder with his hand, kissing her soft hair, "I love you too, Aria. I always have and I always will." His wife looked up at the moon and he followed her gaze, "You know what I think is next for us, lying in the stars, Aria?"_

_She leaned up to press her lips to his neck, "What would that be, Ezra?"_

_He smiled down at her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as she nuzzled in closer to his warm body, kissing her temple, "It shouldn't matter. Our romance is one to last a lifetime."_

Ezra looked up at the sky again, his breathing steady and musky as he continued, "I've been thinking about that lately. What we said that night was very true. Our love for one another is one last a lifetime, but today, I realized that it's even bigger than that." He paused, "And after what we talked about with your mother and Mike tonight got me thinking even more."

"Okay, explain it further to me."

His eyes grew wide as they glistened blue crystal in the bright light of the early set of the winter moon, "There isn't enough time in this life to spend with you. I think of our love as something way bigger than what a clock can contain." Ezra softly smiled as he pressed his lips into her hair, his arms tightly around her, pinning her to him. He continued to murmur, "Life is short. Too short. Soon enough all of our kids will be out of the house and on their own in the big world and it'll be just you and I again. So, why not cherish each moment we have together for the time we have left?"

She sighed happily as she curled up closer to him, watching their two oldest children in the front yard, having fun while they still want to, "I've been thinking a lot about that too. It's hard to imagine our lives after our kids are off on their own. But it's coming. It'll be here before we know it."

Ezra smiled softly, leaning his head against hers and he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, "Through infinity and beyond. And then even beyond that."

Aria murmured into his neck, "Our love for one another is exactly that. Double Infinity."

_So baby, hold on tight  
>Don't let go<br>Hold onto the love we're making  
>Cause baby when the ground starts shakin<br>You gotta know _

_When you've gotta good thing_

**I hope you guys really enjoyed the final chapter of Double Infinity. I know it was way overdue, but I hope it was worth the wait. I am over 7000 words, so I hope it was long enough for all of you.**

**The epilogues will be up by the weekend. I hope you guys are ready for them! **

**Tomorrow will be one year since I posted the first chapter of A Romance to Last a Lifetime, and those who have been sticking with this story for that long, you deserve an award. It was my first fanfic and now I have lots of other plans in the works. Both the original story and the sequel have been joys to write. And it's all thanks to you guys. So, thank you so much!**

**Again thank you nightmares and dreamers for giving me the idea of the title of Double Infinity. I really hope you liked how I fit it into this chapter. **

**Double Infinity has been a huge success since the very first chapter was posted and I have to give a lot of credit to my 'unofficial beta', or as I call her "Yoda", h8atedit. She has been a huge help and I could not express my thanks for her more. She is a fellow writer as well as a fellow spiritual warrior. I love you, girly! Thank you so much for pushing me as hard as you have to strive for the challenging writing and not take the easy route. If you guys are on twitter, be sure to thank her for being one of the main backbones in this sequel.**

**My favorite part about writing this story was definitely you guys cheering me on. You guys reviewed, PMed, tweeted, and send me messaged on Tumblr. That all made me more encouraged to continue writing. You guys are the reason I didn't stop a year ago, with just the ten shot I had planned on. It turned into a 52 chapter story, much to my surprise. Then it grew into this sequel. You guys convinced me to come this far. So, thank you so much for being there. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart. **


	32. Double Infinity: Part 1

**Epilogue- Ezra and Aria: Double Infinity Part 1**

Sixteen years of being parents. Sixteen years that felt like only an hour some days and a century on others. There'd been good days and bad. There'd been arguments and sweet moments. There'd been a lot of adventures. Now, the big day had come: the first date. Or, as Ezra called it, the hardest and worst day of his life.

McKenzie rolled her navy eyes as she combed her hair in front of the bathroom mirror, the teeth of the comb running smoothly through the dark waterfall around her shoulders. It wisped beautifully at the sides of her young face, "Dad it's not that big of a deal. We're going to a movie and then getting a bite to eat."

Ezra sighed, his arms across his chest, Kenzie, you've only been sixteen for a month. I'm not very comfortable with you going out alone with a boy quite yet. Give me another three years and _maybe _I'll be okay with it."

The teenager shook her head in annoyance, "He'll be here in fifteen minutes. And you better be nice to him." She spotted Andrew passing the bathroom door, his eyes glued to his cell phone, texting away, "Andy! Please tell Dad that I'll be fine tonight."

Her younger brother stopped in his tracks and shrugged, "We've been over this ever since he asked you out two weeks ago. I'm not getting involved between you two. Neither is Mom, Ashton, or Riley."

Ezra looked at his oldest son with narrowed dark blue eyes which sparkled with frustration, "Some help you are. You're supposed to on my side when it comes to your sister."

Andrew grinned, "Happy to help." His voice was deeper than most fourteen and a half year olds. He got to experience the wonders of puberty at the age of thirteen; he stood almost shoulder to shoulder with his father at the height of 6'0 even and was the spitting image of him. His long and wavy dark brown curls were apparently very favorable with the girls at the high school he and Kenzie attended. He was only a freshman, but he may as well have been the most popular guy at the school. Though he didn't relish the fact; he hung out with his two best friends, Julia and Connor almost every day, "Dad, it's not like she's going out with a total stranger. You and Mom have known Xavier his entire life. Plus, you know if he breaks her heart, I'll run him over, kill him, resurrect him, and then kill him again."

Kenzie glared at her brother, "I can take care of myself. I'm sixteen for goodness sakes. It's not like I'm five anymore."

Ezra chuckled wholeheartedly and sighed again as he watched his daughter finish getting ready for her first date. She definitely wasn't five anymore. She looked so grown up, like a young adult. She resembled her mother with great accuracy. If one were to compare photos of them at sixteen, they wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Same long dark brunette hair and rosy cheeks. Her small frame stood at barely 5'3, just taller than her mother by an inch. They were too much alike and Ezra loved them more than anything else in the world.

Aria's voice snapped him out of his state and she ran her hand down her husband's back affectionately, "You aren't holding her up, are you?"

Andrew rolled his eyes, "Dad is trying to talk her out going out _again. _I'll be happy when this Friday night is over. Too much damn drama." He gave them another mischievous smile and headed to the living room to watch TV, his attention turned back to his phone.

The doorbell rang from the front door and Ashton called out, his nine year old voice ringing throughout the entire house, "Kenzie! Xavier's here!"

The teenage girl pushed Ezra out of the bathroom and closed the door in her father's voice, "I'm not ready yet. Tell him I'll be out in five. And Dad," Her voice grew cautious, "Be nice to him, please. Like Andy said, you've known him his entire life."

"Fine. Do you want me to sew him a sweater too?"

"Dad! Just be nice to him."

Aria cut Ezra off before he could say anymore, "It's alright, baby girl. Xavier is practically family. Your father and brothers will be on their best behavior." With a hot glare shot at her husband, she pushed him in the direction of the living room, "Relax and be nice to him. He's had a hard time adjusting the divorce and then Spence getting remarried. He's only fifteen. He's had to go through a lot, especially with the custody battle that Toby put him and his sister through. You can understand that, can't you?"

He slowly nodded, "I guess." He sighed and then stepped from the kitchen and into the living room, where Xavier was waiting. His chestnut brown hair hung over his green eyes. He wore a simple blue dress shirt and faded blue jeans.

Xavier gave Ezra and Aria a tiny wave, "Hey, Aria." He glanced at his date's father and looked taken aback at the smoldering glare he was receiving, "Hey…Mr. Fitz."

Aria elbowed Ezra in the stomach and he winced before she smiled and said, "Hi, Xavier. Kenzie is still getting ready. Actually, I think I'll leave you boys alone. I've got to go talk to her before you leave for your date tonight."

Her husband sat in the chair across from Xavier, his hands folded on his lap. There was an awkward silence between them before Riley finally spoke up, his legs dangling from the armrest of the couch, "Well, this is sure fun. Just get some music playing and this'll be a real party." Andrew and Ashton laughed with the youngest of the family and they all bumped fists.

Ezra shook his head at them before turning his attention back to his daughter's date, "Look, Xavier, I like you a lot. You're a good kid and I've known you a long time. But I hope you know that this new personality of mine is one of protection for my daughter, and nothing to you personally."

"I understand that, sir. My dad is the same way about my sister." Xavier nodded and looked at Ezra straight in the eyes, "I want you to understand and try to believe me that I'd never do anything to hurt your daughter. I really like her; she's been my best friend since we were infants. I'm going to treat her really well."

Before either of them could say anymore, Kenzie came out of the bathroom with Aria leading the way. Both Ezra and Xavier stood and the fifteen year old boy smiled at his date sweetly, "You look beautiful."

She blushed a light pink and then looked at her parents, eying Ezra, who looked like he was about to throw up, "We won't be home late. Spencer is just going to drop us off at the cinema off campus and then we're going to walk down to the Bistro for dinner." They both nodded and their oldest child hugged them tightly, "Love you guys tons. Riley and Ashton, stay out of my room. You have your own TV."

"But yours is so much bigger!" The nine year olds cried out.

"Fine, but only because you're going to watch in my room any way. It doesn't really matter if I say anything about it or not." She laughed and then turned back to Ezra, who was looking at his daughter with wide blue eyes, seeming to glisten with tears, "Dad, if you cry right now…."

He shook it off and just laughed, "I'm fine, kiddo. Go have a good time tonight. Be home by nine thirty, okay? Give your old man a piece of mind?"

She nodded and stretched up to kiss his cheek, "Of course, Daddy." She gave him one last hug before waving at the rest of her family and calling out goodbye. Xavier led her out the front door and then they were gone.

Aria glanced up at her husband's face and rubbed his arm as if to comfort him, "You look kind of pale. Do you need to sit down?"

"I'm fine. I just need to go find my strongest bottle scotch."

**PLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLLPLL**

Aria stuck a couple of frozen pizzas in the large oven and set the timer to twenty minutes. She glanced over at Ezra who was sitting at the kitchen table, his hand clasped around a half-filled glass of scotch, his pencil tapping lightly against the wood as he tried to write a little bit for the novel he and Aria were working on together. It was his turn to write a chapter, but he was too stressed out about Kenzie and her first date to focus on putting the words in his head onto paper.

"You alright over there, Ez?"

He ran his hand through his wavy curls and slumped back in the chair, shoulders sagging, "I don't know. It's just that my-_our - _baby girl is out there on her first date." He swallowed his words and then took a swig of his scotch, rubbing his eyes, "I knew this day was coming, but why does it have to be so soon?"

She came up behind him, running her hands down the front of his shirt, twining their hands together in a tangled mess, burying her face into the crook of his neck, "She'll be home before you know it. You don't need to worry about her. We've known Xavier for a long time. He's not going to do anything to hurt her. He wouldn't be that stupid because she has so many guys looking after her, like you, her little brothers, her uncles, and her grandfather. She's sixteen, Ezra. She is growing up."

"Don't remind me. I remember as if it was yesterday when she was just born. Her first words. Her first steps. Her first _everything." _He groaned and then looked over at Aria, "I just worry about her. She's my little girl. Plus she's way too much like you as it is."

Aria laughed and then shrugged, "Well, at least we have the reassurance that she's not hooking up with her English teacher in the front seat of his car." She giggled as she kissed his neck.

"Oh yeah. Those were some very nice times. We were both so adventurous and sneaky with our romantic weekend getaways to the cabin by the lake and our makeout sessions in bathrooms." He murmured against her lips as their mouths pressed together in a short kiss, his tongue grazing her bottom lip.

Andrew walked into the kitchen that very moment with his friend Julia right behind him. Both teenagers' eyes bugged out their sockets, surprised and shocked to find two adults making out. Julia finally snapped out of it, shaking her head in confusion and puzzlement of what she just heard, "We were just wondering if the pizza is done yet. There are four hungry kids in the living room that are waiting for them and they're all pretty hungry."

Aria shook her head, "Just put them in, kids. They'll be done in a little bit." She jerked her head in the direction of the fridge, "We've got some soda and chips if you need something to snack on."

Andrew nodded and then turned to Julia, "I don't know if I told you this, but my dad is actually seven years older than my mom. They met when she was sixteen in a pub down in Rosewood, Pennsylvania the day she, my uncle, and grandparents got home from Iceland. The next day, they found out that he was going to be here AP English teacher for her junior year. They act like newlyweds all the time, even though they've been married since 2012. You don't need to be so grossed out by it." He grabbed two Cokes from the fridge and then called out, "Ashton, Riley, do you want a pop?"

"Orange Crush for me!" Riley answered.

Right after, trying to prove that he's not the exact replica of his identical twin brother, Ashton yelled, "Coke Classic for me, please and thank you!"

Aria shook her head all in good humor, "If they are up past midnight, jacked up on caffeine, I'm blaming you."

He grinned and then hugged her affectionately, kissing the top of her head, "Anything for my mommy." He laughed and shook his head, "I'll make sure they don't get more than one can. They're hyper enough as it is." He gripped the four sodas and a bag of Lays Cheddar and Sour Cream chips in his arms as he headed back into the living room.

Julia, after casting one last puzzled glance at Ezra and Aria, followed him. Soon, they both heard her voice and laughed as the fourteen year old asked, "Wait your mom was how old when she met your dad?"

"Sixteen. Why?"

"Damn, he must've been a really hot English teacher. He still is." She popped open her beverage as she sat down on the floor, her legs curled up Indian style, "They don't make teachers like him anymore."

"Gross, Jules. That's my father you're talking about."

"I'm just saying. Your dad is pretty damn hot."

Ezra chuckled softly and nodded, "Well, in the words of Damon Salvatore, I like being the eternal stud." He popped his collar and then when he couldn't keep a straight face at Aria's expression, he laughed again and pulled her back into his arms as he stood from his place at the kitchen table, "I can't write right now when I know I have to listen to the rest of this conversation .I'd like to hear what Andy has to say."

"Then you have to make sure that we're quiet and that they don't hear us." She pressed her index finger to his pursed lips before kissing his cheek and taking his hand in hers as they hid behind the corner. They heard the voices of the teenagers discussing the matter, just loud enough to hear under the sound coming from the TV.

Julia was still pondering about it, "Do you ever think about that?"

Andrew's tone was confused as he asked, his mouth full of chips, "Wait, think about what?"

"How your dad was your mom's teacher? Isn't that kind of weird for you and your siblings to think about? I mean he was her teacher."

He laughed and there was a pause as he probably took a drink of his Coke, "Not really. We don't think or worry about it. They fell in love in a complicated situation. Kind of like Romero and Julia, just not with the tragic ending with both of them dying. They compare their story to Shakespeare's poetry all the time." There was another pause before he continued, "It doesn't matter to us. I don't think it ever has. Why are you thinking about it so much?"

"Well, why aren't you? Imagine, Andrew. You could've been conceived on a desk." Julia exclaimed and there was very long pause between them before she asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I am never going to get that image out of my head now. Just…gross."

"I'm just honestly wondering."

Aria's face was red from laughter as she pulled Ezra out from their hiding place and they stood in front of the kids with smiles on their faces, unable to keep a straight one, "You guys were having a neat and interesting conversation." She glanced at Julia, "Do you have any questions for me and my husband? We'd be happy to answer them."

Ezra nodded as they curled up on the loveseat together, her legs on top of his and his hand resting softly on her thigh. She rested her head on her shoulder, their free hands twining together again, "It's not like we're never asked. We get reactions like yours all the time."

Julia pursed her lips and thought for a moment before nodding and asking, her dark blonde hair swooshing at the sides of her young face, "Well, how hard was it for you to be together when you two found out that you were going to be teacher and student?"

They exchanged a glance and Ezra shrugged, "It was pretty complicated. The sneaking around was hard at first. But once we got closer and started to develop more serious feelings for one another, we got used to it. We ate takeout in my old apartment and we went to Phillie for public dates, where no one would know the difference between us and the other couples on the sidewalk. It was tough for the both us, between the sneaking around and keeping it a secret from a lot of people that we loved. Finally, when I quit my job at Rosewood and got a teaching position at a local college, we decided it was time for us to go public."

"And how did that go?"

"It was…..interesting. Her parents didn't really approve for a while, but we had the support of my mother, our brothers and our friends. Everything is better now." Aria felt him bury his face into her hair, "We were definitely worth fighting for."

Andrew rolled his eyes, stuffing a chip into his mouth, "I swear, if I have to hear this story one more time…"

"Without this story, you wouldn't be sitting here, Andy. So, shut up." Julia shot back at him, her tone teasing and light, eyes filled with friendliness and affection before turning back to her friend's parents, "So, everything is cool now?"

Aria nodded, "When we got to Rosewood while we're on vacation, we still get stares from some of my old classmates who never left the town and some old colleagues of Ezra's give him dirty looks, but other than that, we seem to be very accepted by everyone there which is something we never expected."

Ashton crawled into Aria's lap and gave her a hug and then a kiss on the cheek "I'm glad you chose Dad, Mom. Even though he's kind of goofy and his hair is weird." He reached over and ruffled his father's hair, "Like, what do you even put in it?"

He shook out his wavy curls and glared playfully at his son, "You have goofy hair too, kid. You always seem to forget that you inherited my curly mini fro."

"Well, maybe I want a haircut! If only Mom would let me." The nine year old pointedly said, shooting up from the chair, his dark brown curls curling in wisps on his forehead.

Aria shook her head, "I told you that you can possibly get one for your birthday in June. But until then, you're going to have goofy hair just like your dad and brothers."

Ezra looked at his wife with narrowed blue eyes, whispering underneath his breath, "You always seem to love burying and digging your fingers in my hair in our bedroom." His hand slid farther up her thigh, resting right on her hip, where he knew where she was the most ticklish.

She glared at him with a widening smile as his fingers lightly skimmed across her skin and she kissed him, their lips grazing softly against one another. Just as Ezra's tongue was about to gain entrance to her mouth, Andrew, who watched them with a disgusted facial expression, "If you two are going to do that, go to the bedroom. I'm trying to eat here." He waved the bag of cheddar and sour cream chips in front of them.

Before his mother could shoot back with a retort, the timer in the kitchen went off. She stood from her husband's lap and he got up to his feet along with her, glancing at the clock on the wall, "Kenzie will be home soon." He shot her a mischievous grin, "Think I should break out my rifle from the gun cabinet?"

Riley and Ashton's mouths went agape in shock and Ashton asked with eyes narrowed, "Wait, I thought guns weren't allowed in the house!"

Riley nodded in agreement with his twin brother, "Yeah, if you can have a gun, why can't we?"

Ezra chuckled and responded in good humor, "Because I'm a grown adult and I need to defend my family. Plus, you two are only nine. You don't need to have a gun."

Andrew laughed along with his father, "You guys get into this argument all the time. Aren't Halo and Call of Duty enough?"

Julia punched his shoulder playfully, "You suck at the game every time you and Connor play."

"Your point is…?"

Aria dragged Ezra back into the kitchen as the kids got into an argument about war video games. She put on an oven mitt and took both pizzas out of the oven and setting them on top of the stove, "Now, we're going to have hear that protesting all night. I wouldn't be surprised if the twins asked Isaac to take them to the shooting range tomorrow."

He murmured into her neck, his fingers playing with the waistband of her jeans as his arms wrapped around her, "Well, how are you going to punish me for opening my way too big mouth?"

She giggled and turned around, playing with his curls, peering deep into his dark indigo eyes with her hazel ones, "I think I can find a way to do that _later_." Their lips pressed together again and Aria was soon pressed against the counter, her arms around her husband's neck.

The front door opened and their daughter's voice called out, "Mom? Dad? I'm home."

**Part one is up! I hope you enjoyed it! Part 2 will be up soon and I am aiming for something way longer than this one; it's going to be sweet, romantic and adorable. Plus pretty funny. Thank you for reading and don't forget to review!**

**Julia was based off of a special friend of mine whom I love and adore. She's my little bear cub and her birthday was yesterday! Happy birthday, Jules. Thanks for being so awesome and practically my little sister. Love you for double infinity! **


	33. Double Infinity: Part 2

**Here it is. What you've all been waiting for. Part 2 of the epilogue and the final chapter of Double Infinity. It's incredibly hard for me to wrap around the fact that I've been writing this Ezria story for more than a year. I thought it was only supposed to be ten or something like that. All of my readers' interest on me continuing is what kept me writing it. And I had no idea it'd cone to being such a success As of right now, this storyline has brought in 881 reviews and if you add all the words together, it is the longest fanfic on this archive. That's an amazing accomplishment to have made in a year because I honestly never imagined I'd make it this far. **

**I'm gonna save the rest of my author's note until the end of part 2. Thank you so much for reading!**

Rain drizzled slowly down the bedroom window, the drops sliding smoothly against the glass behind the closed curtain. Ezra leaned against the window sill, his eyes squeezed shut and his head resting against his forearm. His bottom lip quivered and he didn't bother to make it stop.

"Ezra?" He slowly turned back to his bed where Aria lied with her eyes squinted, only making out his silhouette against the lights from the street foggily dimming the curtains, "Are you alright?"

He shook his head and hung his head between his shoulders, "I don't know." He sat on the edge of the bed and she clasped his hand tightly, giving it comforting squeezes as he took a deep breath and replied, his voice hardly above a murmur, "Where did the time go, Aria? It seems like only yesterday when I was holding her for the first time in the hospital. Not even that. I remember the day when you told me that you were pregnant with her so clearly in my mind." Ezra ran the fingertips of his free hand through his hair, the curls flopping against others as he did so, "I don't know if I'm okay with this. She joins another family tomorrow morning. She's only nineteen. She is She's only going to be a sophomore in college this fall."

"Come here." She whispered and he obliged, crawling to his side of the mattress and wrapping one arm snugly around his wife. Aria turned to face him and with her free hand that wasn't clasping his, she stroked his cheek, smiling as her skin met his, the familiar pattern almost a religion to her, "Ezra, I know she's young. I know she's going into a world that she can't even imagine. But she thinks she's in love with this boy and she is determined to follow her feelings." They leaned their foreheads together as she continued, "She's stubborn just like her father."

This caused a chuckle to go through him and his boyish smile made a small appearance, pulling tightly at the corners of his tender pink lips, "I suppose she is." He sighed, "I just don't want seeing my baby girl getting hurt."

"Xavier has made it very clear that he's not going to hurt her. He truly wouldn't be that stupid, especially when she has you and the boys to protect her." She stroked his cheek again, laying her head on his bare toned chest, "We knew this day was coming, right?"

Tears sprung up in the corners of his indigo eyes, but he wouldn't let them slide down his cheeks, "But why does it have to be so soon?"

"Ezra, look at me." Ezra opened his blue eyes only to be drowned in a deep burning puddle of hazel depths, "We're not losing Kenzie tomorrow. We're letting her grow up. We're letting her spread her wings and fly out into the real world for the first time. They've been dating for three years after all. It's not like she's marrying a kid we don't like. We _love_ Xavier." She shook her head, her grin only growing wider by each passing second, "All of this sounds very familiar, now doesn't it? It's Déjà vu for when I was nineteen."

He nodded, running his thumb from her cheek to behind her ear, sweeping a few loose locks of hair as he did so, "I've been thinking lately; did we set a good enough example for her to follow? We got married the July after you graduated from high school and she's getting married the July one year after she graduated. They're going to Rome for their honeymoon. They're going to live in Rosewood while they both take classes at Hollis. Then after their senior year, they're moving up here to New York." He shook his head in puzzlement, "Is Kenzie following in our footsteps?"

Aria shrugged and cuddled closer to him, her breath resting on different places of his skin, "In some ways, yes, she is. She is following her instincts to marry who she believes is the love of her life. She has made it very clear that she's not going to change her mind about him, no matter what her parents say." She giggled, causing her husband to look at her with narrowed eyes filled with surprise, "She reminds me of us a lot. She has the same determination as I did when I was her age. I knew that we were meant to be and she feels the same about Xavier."

Ezra sighed but nodded, "If you say so."

"Ezra, I'm always right. Don't try and argue with that."

He nodded, "Of course you are." A hint of his boyish smile twitched at the corners of his lips, "Aria, you know the kids are all out of the house and it's just the two of us here tonight. You know what that means, right?" He raised one of his eyebrows teasingly, his fingers playing with the hem of her nightgown.

She rolled her eyes and shrugged, a sexual smile crossing her face, "I guess I do…."

"Good, because I've wanted to play on the Xbox all night while Andrew was gone since I never get to play anymore. Can I call the first controller? We both know how much I love to be in control….." He laughed, shaking his head and then his mouth swooped up against Aria's, his hands slowly moving up underneath her nightgown, pressing her body to him. His heart began to hammer against his chest as she played with the waistband of his pajamas.

He was aching for her more than anything, to have her closer than any other woman has ever been with him. To have her moaning his name inside of his mouth as they made love to one another, her hands all over his back, nails ripping through the surface his skin…...Even the thought of it made his stomach soar with butterflies as it always did when he thought of being completely intimate with her in every way humanly possible.

Aria seductively moved her lips to his ear, whispering slowly, making his want settle deep within him, "Twenty years of doing this and _it never gets old." _Her breath stung the skin of his neck and he couldn't take it any longer. _He wanted her. _

Ezra flipped both of them over, looking into the depths of her eyes, which shone the lust he was feeling, "Well, one more time shouldn't hurt then." With that, he helped her remove her nightgown, where she lied bare underneath the satin fabric. He pressed gentle kisses along her neck and collarbone, careful not to leave any hickies as they had to play host and hostess at a wedding the next day. His hands caressed her thighs, twining her legs around his waist so she straddled him, pressing against his aching abdomen.

He felt her fingers twine in his dark brown curls, pressing him closer to her naked body, her other hand guiding his pajamas down to sit lower his hips as she stroked the inside of his upper leg, teasing him. He moaned in pleasure and continued to tenderly kiss her torso, pulling the sheets away from their half-naked bodies, removing any possible barrier that could be between them.

Ezra pulled away for a moment, gazing down at his beautiful wife, lustful eyes reflecting his. He reached up his free hand, gently tucking a piece of loose brunette hair away from her sweaty forehead. He leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to it, his breathing labored as he murmured softly against the clammy skin, "I love you so much."

She moved her face to be level with his, her fingers tracing out the patterns of his cheeks as their mouths were almost grazing, "I love you, too, Ezra. More than what I can ever put into words." And with that, no more words were spoken between them as their lips smashed together in a fiery kiss.

The rain continued to pour outside and claps of thunder rushed quickly after lightning as it lit up the New York sky, but the couple ignored it. They continued to kiss and moan and murmur one another's names. Their only concern was being there at that moment.

Nothing was more than them being together at that second, with nothing between them and every wall torn down.

Nothing at all.

* * *

><p>By the time that Aria awoke the next morning, it was already seven. She sighed as she rolled out from underneath Ezra's arm that was encasing her to his body and sat on the mattress for a moment, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She looked over her shoulder at her sleeping husband, who was out like a light as he was not even laughing as he usually does when he's asleep. Well, the precious night had been tiring for the both of them….<p>

His face wore very few signs of his age, which was barely standing at forty-two. Sure, there were a few worry lines here and there, but that was normal, especially for being a father of four teenagers. A few gray hairs were beginning to spring up in the waves of his curly dark brown hair, but other than that, he still looked like that goofy twenty-five year old she married twenty years ago.

Aria reached over and stroked his cheek softly with her index finger, her face soft with love and affection that she had for the man she loved. She wondered if her daughter looked at Xavier the same way as she did Ezra. She knew that the two of them were head over heels in love with one another, but sometimes that isn't enough.

She shook the thought from her mind as soon as it popped up. She knew that it was wrong to think even a thing because that's what her parents had tried to convince her before she married Ezra at eighteen. The last thing she wanted was to put Kenzie through the same thing she was. Everyone had tried to dissuade her from wedding Ezra and here they were: married for twenty years, four children, and utmost happiness in their lives. Maybe she and Ezra were wrong about their daughter marrying so young. After all, they did the same in 2012.

Aria slipped on some underwear, a bra, and a pair of Ezra's pajamas and night shirt that lied on the floor beside the bed and silently left the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She wanted Ezra to get as enough rest as possible. He was taking this marriage thing harder than anyone else. She understood why: they've always had a stronger relationship than the father/daughter bond Aria had with her own dad. Kenzie has had Ezra wrapped around her finger since the day she was born and her getting married today must seem like he's losing his little girl. When he'd first found out that she was engaged, nothing went down well. At first, as most fathers tend to do when his daughter comes home saying she's going to get married as a teenager, he thought Kenzie was pregnant. Then once Xavier was rushed out of the house after getting popped in the mouth and in the eye where Ezra punched him, Kenzie calmed him down and explained everything.

**Five weeks earlier**

_Xavier glanced over at McKenzie, who gave him an encouraging nod and a squeeze of the hand, and he took a deep breath as he looked up at his girlfriend's parents with genuine fear in his eyes, especially from the glare that Ezra was shooting him for sitting so close to his daughter, "Me and Kenzie have something to tell you."_

_Aria nudged Ezra to relax but as soon he heard those words come out of the young man's mouth, his face went pain and the veins in his arms started to pop, "Then talk already."_

"_Ezra…" Aria said to him, a tint of warning in her voice._

_Xavier looked taken aback at Ezra's quick reaction, but he shook it off in a minute's time, "I love your daughter more than anything else in the world and I wanted to tell you two before anyone else." With one last glance at Kenzie, he took a deep breath and looked at Ezra straight in the eyes, "Kenzie and I are getting married in July."_

_Aria felt as though the wind was just knocked out of her. She knew that these two would eventually want to get married, but not so soon! She glanced at her husband sitting beside her and saw his face grow paler and paler as the time ticked on. At first, she feared that he'd forgotten how to breathe or that he was having a heart attack. She inhaled a deep breath and locked gazes with her daughter, "Is this true?"_

_Andrew walked out of his bedroom in the basement at that very moment, his stature cautious as he walked into the living room, "Is what true?" His young face was very confused, "What's going on?" He cast a glance at Ezra and worriedly asked, "Why does Dad look like he's about to pass out?"_

_It was Ezra who answered his son and everyone's eyes sprung to him as he drug out, his voice hardly audible, "Your sister just informed us that these two are getting married in July." His dark eyes were smoldering a deep sapphire indigo that sent a chill down Xavier's spine._

_Andrew shook his head in puzzlement, "What?" He glanced at his older sister, "What is he talking about?"_

"_Xavier and I are getting married."_

_Finally, Ezra pushed himself up to his feet and Xavier jumped from his place on the loveseat where he'd sat just a second before beside McKenzie, their interlocked hands being torn apart, "Sir, please understand-"_

_He didn't have a chance to say anything more as Ezra's fist met his mouth and before he could recover from the blow, he received another to the eye. He collapsed against the wall, squeezing his good eye shut as he tried to shake it off. Why did he not wear a helmet? He had had a feeling that this was going to happen. _

_Kenzie pushed between them before Ezra could throw another punch, tears ripping through her chest, "Stop, Dad! Just stop and listen to us!"_

"_What did he do to you, Kenzie? I'll kill him! I swear I'll kill him with my bare hands!" He screeched, his eyes not leaving Xavier. They burned with a fury that Aria had never seen in the cobalt depths. _

"_Ezra! Please, take one minute listen to her!" Aria begged him, still unable to move. Her body was extremely numb to the circumstances that she was now in._

_Andrew stepped in at that moment, deciding that someone had to stay calm and take control of the situation. The eighteen year old motioned to his sister's boyfriend, or now fiancé, "Xavier, let's go. I think it's best we leave the house." He guided the bleeding teenager outside, his hand tightly gripping his arm. Ezra watched them leave, his fists still clenched. For the first time in all of their years being together, Aria was genuinely afraid of her husband._

"_Dad, you need to calm down." The nineteen year old pleaded loudly to her father as they heard the front door shut behind Xavier and Andrew, "You're overreacting."_

_"Calm down? Overreacting? McKenzie, you just told me and your mother that you're going to get married in five weeks. You're only nineteen, for God's sake. How do you want me to react?" He yelled at her, tendons pressing against the surface of his neck, looking as though they were going to burst through it, his face red with anger mixed with pain. This was the harshest he's ever been with her, "So, when did you find how that he got you pregnant? Because however long you've known, I'm going to punch and kick him that many more times."_

"_Ezra, please take a breath, slow down and relax." Aria spoke from her place on the sofa, her voice filled with anxiety as her husband's face grew bluer by the second, "We need to speak like adults. You freaking out and beating up a teenager isn't going to do you or anybody any good in this situation." He shot a glance down at her and something about the mysterious twinkle in her eyes sent a wave crashing down on him and he plopped beside her, his face in his hands. She rubbed his back comfortingly in an effort to lower his adrenaline, "Kenzie, why now?"_

"_Well, first of all, I'm not pregnant. I'm not stupid. I know how to use-" With a warning look shot from her mother as she felt Ezra tense up again, Kenzie didn't finish her sentence and she just inhaled another deep breath, "I'm not pregnant, okay?"_

_Ezra picked up his head again and there were tear stains on his scarlet cheeks and his eyes were a sapphire ocean in the middle of a hurricane, "You're not lying to me are you? Because if you are, I swear-"_

"_Daddy," Aria watched as he melted at the phrase, more tears springing up from his eyes underneath his dark brown curls, "I've never lied to you about anything before. Why would I start now?"_

_He took a deep breath, "Okay, sweet pea." His voice was rough as he continued, "Like your mother asked, "Why now? Why are you getting married now? You only just finished up your first year at Columbia. You've only just begun to live on your own." This wasn't true, since she lived with Xavier and her two best friends in a three bedroom apartment just two blocks away, but he knew she knew what he meant, "Why get married so early?"_

"_Why not get married now? Mom and you always said to follow my heart and right now, he has it by a leash, Daddy." She smiled, her lips wobbling as she whispered, "I love him."_

_He squeezed his eyes shut and placed his face in his hands again. A choked sob slipped through his body. Kenzie moved across the room to sit beside him, laying her head on her shoulder, wrapping her arms around his shaking frame, "Daddy, you're never going to lose me. I'm always going to be your little girl." She locked eyes with her mother, "Nothing and no one is ever going to change that."_

**Present Day**

A knock on the door shook Aria from the flashback which she'd had in the middle of making coffee and she went to the door, looking through the peephole. It was Star. She opened the front door and smiled at her old friend before wrapping her up in a warm and welcoming hug, "Hey, Star. Thanks for coming all the way up here from New Orleans."

Star had been transferred to Louisiana after a great job offer as an associate dean three years before that had hopped up after Ezra suggested her for the job to a friend of Byron's. She was thrilled to have the new opportunity and moved to New Orleans in a heartbeat; almost immediately after receiving the offer. She met a colleague there that she was head over heels for. They'd been going steady for two and a half years now. Whenever she and Aria spoke on the phone, she never stopped talking about Michael.

She hadn't changed much. Her skin was darker from being in the Deep South and her curly hair was still styled in that unusual natural afro, though it was a bit longer now. She wore the same square-rimmed glasses, "Hey, Aria. It was my pleasure." Her voice rung with a slight Southern tang, "I know I'm a bit early, but Michael knew if I didn't get up at five this morning, I would be late for the ceremony, so here I am!"

"Michael came all the way from Louisiana?"

Star shook her head with a slight blush to her cheeks at even the thought of her boyfriend of more than two years, "He had some conference thing in Atlanta he had to attend. But he sends his blessings to your family and to Xavier's." She sighed and rolled her eyes, "He made me set an alarm on my phone so then I'd wake up on time."

"That's horrible. Here come in." The cool air of the July morning washed into the house, promising another beautiful summer day. The boys were going to be miserable in their suits and ties. She wouldn't be surprised if they changed into shorts for the reception immediately after family photos were taken. She wouldn't want to be in the thick suede fabric in a hundred degree weather either.

Star stepped inside the house and shook her head again as she looked around, "Some things never change do they?" She laughed and pointed at a photo on the mantel the day that she'd left for her new job three years before and they'd taken a photo together; her, Ezra, and Aria with all the kids. Ashton had had braces and Riley had broken his arm from playing football. Andrew's hair was a mess and Kenzie had Ezra in a choke hold. Only Aria and Star looked halfway normal with warm smiles in the direction of the camera, "I remember the day we took that. Man, those kids are awesome. They always have been. Where are they, anyways? Have the twins been able to stay out of trouble lately?"

"Well, since school is out, I haven't gotten any phone calls. They're both at baseball practice right now. Andrew is spending some much needed time with his girlfriend before she takes off for college in the fall."

"And Kenzie?"

"She went to a bachelorette party with her two best friends, Agus and Emily, last night."

"Wait, did you say that Andrew has a girlfriend?" She asked with a shocked tone to her voice, her brown eyes as large as saucers, "Since when?"

Aria laughed and shrugged, "Him and Julia have been friends since they were ten when she moved to the city from Long Island. When he turned seventeen, he finally decided to stop being a chicken and ask her out. Turns out, she's had a crush on him since they first met. She was just waiting for him to make the first move." She drummed her fingers against the counter, "She leaves for UCLA in just a few weeks and he's going to the Art Institute here in the city. They're going to try and make the long distance thing work." She paused before continuing a moment later, "If I'd gotten a scholarship in California while Ezra stayed behind, I don't think I would've been able to take it. I know Andrew loves Julia and vice versa. They'll make it work."

Star sighed again, shaking her head, "Young love can make it through anything if both people are committed. Even if they are thousands of miles away from one another." She looked at her friend up and down, her eyes narrowing at her appearance, "What's with the outfit? Are you modeling guy clothes now or something?"

"Well, I was too lazy to get dressed this early so I'm just wearing some of Ezra's clothes."

Her husband's voice sounded from the hallway, "So that's where my pajamas went! Aria, I swear, you're a little thief when it comes to my clothes." He walked into the kitchen with a pair of shorts and a tank shirt, "I thought I heard an annoying voice coming from my kitchen and then I realized that it must be Star." Though his voice had a teasing tone, it was filled with warmth and friendliness. Aria smiled as she watched the two former colleagues exchange a hug. They may constantly nag each other and get one another's last nerve, but to her that just meant that they were best friends.

They pulled away and Star waved the air in front of her face, her nose wrinkled, "Dang, Fitzy. You need to go and take a shower. Are you going to walk your daughter down the aisle smelling like _that?_"

Ezra shrugged with a wink in Aria's direction, causing her to giggle, "I thought you enjoyed this cologne I'm wearing. Guess what it's called. It's called 'I Just Got Up and I Smell, So Who the Hell Cares?' Interesting name, isn't it?"

"Wow, I'm laughing on the inside. You're so hilarious. I'm dying here." Star shoved his shoulder playfully, brown eyes twinkling, "So, Aria told me that today is like the end of your life. How're you going to cope when Kenzie is off on her honeymoon tonight?"

He groaned and Aria rubbed the top of his hand as she said, "Well, we're going to go a on trip with the boys down to Rosewood for a couple of weeks, so that should distract him away from it for a little while. The cabin is finally ready for us to spend some time in. Then once Kenzie gets back, she'll join us for a week. We want to get as much time together as we can before the school year starts. Soon it'll just be me and Ezra up in the house."

"Well, you've got a while yet for the twins don't you? They're not going to be graduating for a five more years." Star pointed out.

Ezra chuckled, "Dear God that's a long time to go. Why aren't they eighteen yet?"

His friend laughed along with him, "Once they're off to college, you'll regret saying that." She paused with a smile before saying, "I don't feel any sympathy for you, but for them, I've got loads of it. Haven't you already screwed up their heads enough?"

"True."

Aria placed three cups of coffee on the counter, one for each of them, "Riley has always been the more outgoing one out of the two. Ashton isn't going to leave the city if we don't. He's too much of a momma's boy. He's like Andrew that way."

Her oldest son walked out of his basement bedroom at that moment, much to her surprise, especially since she'd thought he was at Julia's for the night. He wearing an outfit almost identical to his father's; t-shirt and shorts, "I heard that. I'm not a baby anymore, Mom." His blue eyes were soft with affection as he gazed at his mother, "I'll always be your little boy though. No matter where I go and who I'm with, you'll always be my mommy." He glanced at Ezra, "Dad, I know you didn't take my Xbox controller again. The walls are thin enough to hear everything going on up stairs." His nose wrinkled and he shivered as he continued, "And when I say everything, I mean _everything._"

* * *

><p>Aria adjusted Ezra's tie as he took deep, shallow breaths in the summer heat. Of course, there has to be <em>another <em>wedding that he had to wear a tux in when the weather was blistering hot. Plus, he was already nervous enough. He was about to see his daughter be married and something about that just set thorns deep within every part of his body. His stomach churned and for a moment, he thought he was going to be sick.

He glanced down at Aria, who was dressed in a strapless pale green summer dress, her dark brunette hair draping over her shoulders. White feather earrings hung from her ears and a light breeze washed beneath the waterfall of hair, causing Ezra to moan. He remembered the day they were married as though it was yesterday. And yet, at the age of thirty-six, she looked almost identical to what she looked like in 2012 when they'd said their vows.

She caught him staring and rolled her eyes before pressing a firm kiss to his pursed lips. They leaned their foreheads together as she whispered, "Today's the big day."

"It feels like we just said that on the day she was born." He sighed and closed his eyes, squeezing them shut, remembering the day as if it were yesterday. From he'd found Aria in the bathroom with a broken water to when he'd held his firstborn child, only daughter, and his lovable little sweet pea for the first time.

**Nineteen years and six months earlier**

_He adjusted his infant daughter in his arms, careful not to wake her. McKenzie Angel Fitz was born on January 8th 2013 at 8:03 AM, weighing out to be about four pounds and one ounce. She was a carbon copy of her mother and had the same rich, soft, Italian skin, dark brown hair, though it curls in it, just like Ezra. Ezra was tied around her tiny finger the moment he laid eyes on her._

_Aria blinked sleepily over at him, just coming over the anesthesia from her surgery after the birth of her daughter, but still had the same soft smile on her face, "Is anyone else going to be able to hold our daughter, Ezra or are you just hogging her?"_

_He smirked at her, "Aria, she's my baby girl. What do you expect?" But he gently passed his daughter to Spencer, whose own baby belly is starting to show. Toby loomed protectively over her, his hands caressing her waist as they cooed at the baby girl as she slept snuggly in her arms._

_Ezra smiled as he lied down beside Aria on the big hospital bed and Snoopy, who had been sleeping at her feet, hops into his lap, wagging his tail. He patted the puppy's head. The moment Snoopy saw McKenzie, he laid on the floor on his back, kicking up his back legs excitedly, which both Ezra and Aria took as a good sign, knowing that their six month old beagle puppy wasn't going to eat their infant daughter, "Snoops, you have a little one to look after now. You think you can handle that?" The beagle looked at him and gave a little yip._

_Isaac was in the corner nearest to the door, arms crossed across his chest, a smile on his face and Ezra looked over at him, "Dad, you haven't said much. Do you want to hold her?"_

_His father shook his head, jaw clenching, "I'll have plenty of chances kiddo. She sure is a pretty baby, though."_

_Daniel took McKenzie from Spencer and cooed at her, his long bangs falling over his dark blue eyes, "Hey, Kenzie, me and your Uncle Mike are going to teach you how to play every sport known to man." He looked up to see Hanna glaring at him, "What?"_

_She held up a finger, "Shut up, Danny. McKenzie is going to be a fashion diva, not a sport lunatic."_

_Ella laughed, "You two have plenty of time to argue about that. She's only a few hours old."_

_Byron gazed at Aria, a wide grin on his face, "How you feeling, sweetheart? You've been through a lot today."_

_She smiled at her father, "Tired, but overwhelmingly happy. I'm so happy to be a Mommy; I can't explain it in words."_

_Her dad laughed, "And Ezra, do you think any of your chest hair will grow back? I mean, Aria was grabbing onto your shirt pretty damn hard."_

_Ezra chuckled, "It's worth it, though." He leaned down to kiss his wife's hair, "Very much worth it."_

_Daniel looked up from the baby in his arms, "She has your eyes, Ez. Or should I say Dad's eyes?" He grins over at his father, "So, Gramps, how's your wife, or fiancée, or whatever in the hell you call her?"_

_"She's fine and back at home in Virginia. She didn't feel right about coming." He glanced at Aria, "I really am sorry about that. About what happened at Hilton Head?"_

_Aria looked over at him, "I forgive you, Isaac. Don't worry about it." He nodded, not meeting her eyes, biting his bottom lip, rubbing the back of his neck. Aria giggled and glanced over at Ezra, "So that's where you get it from." He shrugged and chuckled, pressing his lips into her hair again._

_McKenzie began to whine and cry, so everyone surrounded her, trying to figure out what's wrong. Aria extended her arms, "Come on. Give her to her Mommy." Danny gently placed the infant in Aria's arms, "Hey, baby girl, no need to cry now. Mommy and Daddy are here. And Snoops is here, too." At mention, Snoopy licked McKenzie's dark brown curly hair, "Snoopy is our puppy and when you're old enough, you're going to help me and Daddy take care of him."_

_He looked at Aria, "You mean help me take care of him?"_

_She nodded, giggling, "You catch on quickly, Ezra." She twirled one of her daughter's curls around her index finger, just gazing at her._

_Hanna chirped, "Let's get a picture of this beautiful moment! It'll be your first family portrait hanging in the apartment's living room!" She took out her cell phone and Aria and Ezra looked up with bright smiles. Just before she snapped the photo, McKenzie opened her wide dark blue eyes and flashes a little flirty smile._

**Present Day**

"I miss Snoopy." Ezra said randomly. Their family beagle died just two years ago and though they've talked about getting another puppy, the family is just not emotionally ready yet After all, Snoopy had been in their lives for seventeen years. His companionship had been everything to them, especially since he'd been the first member of their family. They'd gotten him right after returning from their first honeymoon in Italy.

She nodded, "Well, we both decided, no matter how many times the boys beg, we're not going to get another puppy until next year. After all no one could ever replace out little Snoops." She finished her fidgeting with his tie and pushed his long curls out of the way of his eyes before giving him a small kiss on his pouting lips, "Try not to trip coming down the aisle, okay?"

"Very funny." He shot back as she skipped with a wide smile into the sanctuary where the ceremony was going to be held. He poked his head in and observed the place. Hanna and Caleb were there with their two children and Spencer sat near them with her new British husband and fellow doctor, Wren Kingston. Toby sat on her other side with their youngest daughter, Madeline. From what he could see, much to his amusement, Riley was trying to flirt with her while Ashton talked with Ella and Byron nearby. Ella tried to remove the hair from out of the way of her grandson's eyes, but he shied playfully away, a wide grin on his face.

On Kenzie's side, Maya and Emily exchanged small talk, much to his surprise. Last time he'd heard after Maya went off to teach music at NYADA, she'd moved on from her old girlfriend. Well, from their body language, it didn't look that way. Whatever was going on between them, he was happy of how happy they looked together.

His eyes roamed the large and colorful room and he smiled and waved at his nephew, Cole, who was sitting between Daniel and Lily. The twelve year old was bouncing up and down, floppy blonde hair in the way of his emerald green eyes. His brother and his wife had only ever had Cole, though he was far from being a spoiled brat. He called out, "Hi, Uncle Ezra!"

"Hey, little man." He flashed his boyish grin at his brother's son and then continued to check out the turn out for this beautiful summer day. He watched as Mike settled into a sitting position by Isaac and Sarah, with Maggie sitting nearby. Mike's wife Natasha stayed in Rosewood after their son got sick. Noel had shown up in her absence though, as he was Kenzie's adopted uncle and godfather.

The two men locked gazes and Ezra gave him a respectful nod. The hatchet had been buried years ago and they were now friends. They both loved Aria, but Noel just had to settle for only loving her as a friend since he wanted her to be happy and he knew that her being happy meant that she had to be with Ezra. And he would never forget how he'd defended her from Jason all those years ago in the bar.

One of Kenzie's best friends and bridesmaids came up behind him, breaking his trace of watching the crowd, her light russet skin shining in the reflections coming from the stained glass of the sanctuary. Her dark brown hair fell over her shoulders, covering her back where it was revealed from the backless peach bridesmaid dress. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled with excitement. When she spoke, Ezra remembered that her parents had moved here to the states from Argentina when she was nine. Though she spoke English fluently, the Spanish accent on the edge of her voice was impossible not to notice, "She's almost ready for you in there, Mr. Fitz."

"Thank you, Agus." And as always, he pronounced her name wrong. He often forgot that the 'g' in her name was soft and not emphasized.

The nineteen year old rolled her eyes and shook her head as she politely corrected him, "Mr. Fitz, for the last time. Say it with a soft g."

Now he was just trying to annoy her as he flashed her his boyish grin, "A goose."

She smiled, making every effort not to giggle, "No, a _soft _g. Agus."

He teasingly replied, "Aren't I saying it right? A goose."

"You'll have to excuse my dad. He's an intelligent and a man who's traveled a lot, but he's never studied any other language besides English." He whipped around and as he saw his daughter standing there in her mother's wedding dress from all those years ago, tears sprung up in his eyes. She'd never looked so beautiful or so much like Aria.

She took a few strides toward him and straightened his tie, looking at him straight in the face with a flirty smile, "Dad, you're not going to be needing any tissues, now are you?"

He chuckled and kissed her forehead, "No, sweetheart. You look beautiful by the way."

"I look just like Mom when you two got married, don't I?" She pulled away and twirled around in her bridal gown, causing both Agus and her other friend, Emily to squeal and clap, "I know the dress is a bit out of style, but Mom said it'd fit alright. Plus, it's vintage and you can never go wrong with that."

"True." He smiled and took a deep breath as he twined his arm around hers, "Are you ready to do this?" Outside the waiting room the music began to play and the other girls were already filing out.

Kenzie's grip on him tightened and it gave him courage to walk her down the aisle in just a few moments as she murmured, "I can do anything, be anything, and jump into anything headfirst as long as I know you're beside me all the way through, Daddy." She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment.

He gave her temple one last kiss before they received the signal to start walking down the aisle. All the guests stood as they slowly began to drag their feet on the carpet and Ezra had to remember to breathe as he guided his one and only daughter down to Xavier. It was the few slowest moments of his entire life, especially when he locked eyes with Aria. She gave him two thumbs up as they passed her and very subtlety, their pinkies temporarily locked before he walked away, about to give his daughter to her long term boyfriend.

Xavier shook his hand and he leaned forward, murmuring underneath his breath, allowing only those two men to hear the message, "Take good care of her, son." His words dripped with meaning, allowing the young man to know if he breaks his daughter's heart, her father would gladly break Xavier's face and that meant it'd be way worse than a black eye and broken nose.

"I promise, sir." His almost son-in-law looked at him straight in the eyes and, for the first time, Ezra actually believed him. So, rather in an unhesitant fashion, he placed Kenzie's hands into his. He pressed a kiss to her cheek before going over to join Aria. As he sat, their hands twined together between their legs that were now rubbing together.

The preacher began to read scripture from the Bible and Ezra found himself looking at Aria as the old man recited verses of loyalty and marriage. And, with no surprise, their gazes locked and they exchanged smiles. He tightening his grip on his wife's hand and she squeezed back. She laid her head on his shoulder and Ezra leaned his against hers as they watched the ceremony continue. It felt like yesterday when they'd been standing in that exact spot; in the only church in Rosewood, up on the old wooden steps, as they said their vows.

He whispered softly so only Aria could hear, "Aria," His voice dropped even lower, "Ti amo."

She answered him with a smile shining on her radiant face, "Anch'io ti amo."

* * *

><p>The wedding flooded into the reception just twenty minutes later at the Italian Bistro, where they'd rented out the entire Italian restaurant for the event. Aria watched from her chair as Xavier led McKenzie onto the dance floor for their first dance as a married couple. The happiness brimming on both of their young faces was unmistakable and the mother of four couldn't help but wipe a tear from her eyes as she watched them dance slowly to the music.<p>

"Aria?" She looked up and saw Ezra's smiling face shining down at her. He jerked his head towards the dance floor, holding his hand out to her, "May I please have this dance?" His blue eyes shone deep love that he had for her.

She took his hand and he pulled her up to her feet. She kissed his cheek, "Of course you may."

"Shall we?" He led her onto the dance floor and took her into strong arms. As predicted, he'd changed into a pair of thin brown dress pants and the white dress shirt from underneath his tuxedo, with his tie still in place.

"Can you believe how much time has passed, Ar? It seems like yesterday when we met in the bar."

She picked her head up from his chest and looked at him in the eyes, her hazel orbs tearing up the slightest bit, "It seems like yesterday when you first asked me to dance at _our _wedding reception." They both laughed and nodded, watching as Xavier and Kenzie continued to dance around them. Andrew had already asked Julia, who was wearing a backless baby blue dress that flowed beautifully down her body, to dance with him and soon more and more guests poured onto the floor, dancing to the slow music.

Aria watched as Andrew pressed a gentle kiss to Julia's lips, his hands holding her close to him. She couldn't help but remember the day he graduated from high school this past June. He'd pulled Julia on stage with him and presented her with a promise ring by getting down on one knee. In his exact words, he promised that no matter how far they were from one another, his heart would be with her the entire time that they were apart. Of course, this had received a standing ovation from the crowd and it had only grown louder after they'd kissed passionately. That was probably the most romantic gesture Aria had ever seen and she couldn't be any prouder than to call Andrew her son.

After the song ended, she watched as Ezra weaved his way through the crowd to share a father-daughter dance with Kenzie. They laughed and hugged as they saw one another before beginning to dance to Kenzie's old bedtime lullaby and their love song, "Happiness" by the Fray. Aria smiled and watched as they twirled around the dance floor and the people on it. Ezra must have kissed Kenzie's forehead ten times and his wife knew that he was savoring the few moments he had alone with his little girl.

A deep voice whispered in her ear, "It's hard to believe, isn't it, Mom? Seeing Kenzie getting married?" The tone was unmistakable, even after all these years of saying goodbye to him. Aria knew exactly who this guy was. The boy who should be standing beside her and the rest of his family on the day of his older sister's wedding.

"Mason."

His breath stirred wisps of her hair, "Come outside for a moment. I can't stay for long. I just wanted to come long enough to where I could see you and the rest of my family. Especially to watch Kenzie look so happy with her new husband."

She made her way outside on the balcony and she turned to see him standing there. He was dressed in a tuxedo, his warm and friendly hazel eyes hidden underneath the mess of his curly light brown hair. He looked older, around the age of fourteen or fifteen. She still didn't understand the whole process of being able to see him, as he was just the image of a little boy the last time they saw each other, which was thirteen years before, but she didn't care. He was here and that's all that mattered.

She wiped her eyes and he shook his head, taking a step closer to her mother. Aria was finally able to see the way Mason truly resembled his father, though her eyes on him were unmistakable. The same loving twinkle were in the creamy hazel depths, "If you're going to cry, then…" His voice was teasing and warm, if not a bit choked up, as if he too was about to cry.

"I'm just happy to see you. It's been-"

"Thirteen years, I know." A charming boyish smile flashed across his young face and her heart began to race. It was identical to Ezra's, "I felt the pull down here and I was able to get the permission to. It wasn't a whim of mine either. I just sort of showed up." He shook his head, "I've never left you though. I've never left any of you. Ever since you said goodbye over a decade ago, I've been right there, even if you didn't know it."

"I still miss you every day, Mason. I miss you more than you will ever know." She stuttered out, tears spilling out from the corners of her eyes.

Mason didn't hesitate to wipe them away and pull her into a hug, "There's no need to cry, Mom. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." His voice dropped to a whisper, "I promise you that I'll never leave you." He smiled and chuckled, "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Soon Aria felt a light breeze and Mason's warmth was gone. She opened her eyes and her son was gone. But somehow, she still felt his presence and she looked up at the full moon that was steaming creamy white light onto the balcony and reflecting off the ocean water that sat beneath it. She leaned against the railing, taking in a deep breath from the warm summer air.

Two strong arms twined around her waist and lips kissed her neck, "Hey, beautiful." Who else would it be other than Ezra?

She turned her head to lock gazes with him, "Why, hello there." She pressed a firm kiss to his lips before turned back toward the ocean.

Ezra murmured to her, his grip on her tightening, pressing her closer to him, "Mason was here, wasn't he?"

Aria nodded, "Only for a minute or two. He said that he came today to see Kenzie get married." She sniffled a bit.

"I knew that it was him the moment I saw you walk away with him. At first, I couldn't tell who he was and then he looked over his shoulder and met my eyes. And I would know those eyes and light brown curls anywhere." He swallowed, "I'm glad he decided to crash the party. It only feels perfect when we have all of our children here."

"You're right." She leaned up and kissed the upper part of his rosy cheeks.

"Of course I am." He chuckled and turned her around lightly so then he could see her face and take her into his long arms. The music from inside was pouring through the open doors and they began to sway to the rhythm. It was a love song written and sung by the Grammy award winning country-pop trio Rascal Flatts, "Nothing Like This". It was one they used to listen to all the time in the old apartment in Rosewood.

"I realized tonight that Xavier really does love our little Kenzie." Ezra murmured, his lips kissing his wife's hair with each word that he said them, "The way he looked at her as I allowed him to dance with her again…it was like how I look at you."

She gazed at him, watching as his soft blue eyes grew tender, gentle, and affectionate, all in the caldron of the loving navy depths, "That look that you're giving me right now?"

He nodded, curls bouncing at the sides of his face as he so, "This exact look that I'm giving you right now."

No more words were spoken between them as they continued to sway to the lyrics and music of the song, Ezra's arms pressing gently around her waist and Aria's around his neck. Nothing could faze them at that moment. Their love for one another radiated warmly between them underneath the moonlight. Anyone with half a brain would be able to tell that these two were soulmates. From the time they to that very moment, everything had been a journey. Everything had been worth the fight, the tears, the broken hearts and the adventures. Because their love for another was stronger than what could ever pull apart.

Their love was infinity and beyond. Then beyond even that. To double infinity.

Their love was double infinity.

**I am so emotionally attached to these characters that I am actually tearing up a bit while writing this author's note. I am sad to see the story end but I promise all of you that you haven't seen the last of me yet. There's still If I Knew Then and right now, I am outlining two fanfics that I will be co-writing with my good friend and fellow writer, Becca (AKA prettylittlesoprano). So be looking out for those. Then there is much more in the works. I'm a writer and what better way to share my ideas than here on this site with my fanfics?**

**I cannot thank any of my readers enough for being my rock for the past year with both the original story and the sequel. Though I can't put it into words (it'd take far too long for me to write all of it out!) I think all of you know how each and every one you have pushed me and challenged me to new heights. From simple ideas to story-changing ones, I have never taken any of them for granted. I'd like to personally thank a few of you. **

**.dreamers yet again for the title Double Infinity. I knew it was perfect the moment I saw it and thank you again for sharing it with me. **

**Then there is my Yoda, who I did base Star off of by the way. She actually gave me a lot of the storylines that I have run with in this sequel. **

**My twitter friends: Katrin, Julia, Agus, Becca, Emma, Abby, Rosalind, Lexi, Emily, Laura Ashley, Dani, Char, Luciana, Bethany, Clare, Paige, and Star. You guys never fail to boost my ego. Thank you for always nagging me to update and giving me words of encouragement since I made my account. I'm so grateful for all of you, you don't even know.**

**Thank you again so much and I hope you thoroughly enjoyed Part 2 of the epilogue. I've been outlining it I started writing the sequel. It was a challenge, but I pushed myself to write over 9000 words. Yes, applause. And by that I mean, don't forget to leave a review! Please with a shirtless Ian on top?**

**Double infinity amounts of love for every single one of you. THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH! **


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